The Jaguars and Giants both entered Week 12 with 6-4 records and playoff aspirations, and on Sunday they gave the fans a playoff-worthy game, well-played throughout and thrilling until the final moments.
The difference was that the Giants -- who entered the game with a league-high 30 turnovers -- were more careful with the ball, making it through a 24-20 victory without a giveaway while Jaguars quarterback David Garrard lost a fumble and threw an interception.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning was cool and efficient, completing 14 of 24 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns including the game-winner to Kevin Boss (above) with 3:15 remaining.
• The Giants' first offensive possession was a tremendous display of marching the ball down the field with a mix of running and passing, but after gaining 75 yards the Giants stalled in the red zone when Derek Hagan dropped a perfect pass from Eli Manning and Ahmad Bradshaw got stuffed on third-and-2, and New York had to settle for a field goal.
• The Jaguars' first offensive possession also went 75 yards, with Maurice Jones-Drew picking up 40 yards on the ground and Rashad Jennings finishing the drive with a five-yard touchdown to give Jacksonville a 7-3 lead. Jones-Drew had a great start to another great game, his fourth consecutive contest with at least 100 rushing yards.
• Jacksonville's second drive was slow, methodical and effective as well, covering 85 yards on 15 plays. Unfortunately for Jacksonville, a false start penalty on third-and-goal backed the Jaguars up and forced them to settle for a field goal that gave them a 10-3 lead.
• The Giants' second drive looked a lot like Jacksonville's: A seven-play, 64-yard drive that stalled thanks to a penalty, forcing the Giants to settle for a field goal.
• Just before halftime Jaguars quarterback David Garrard made an absolutely sensational play with his legs, rolling to his right, looking to pass, not finding anything and then reversing field to his left and running into the end zone for a touchdown that gave Jacksonville a 17-6 lead. That play was the last example of many in the first half of the Giants' defense being completely incapable of stopping the run. At halftime the Jaguars' offense had 20 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
• The Giants took control, however, at the start of the second half. Their defense settled down and the offense had a couple of impressive scoring drives, first setting up a Lawrence Tynes 28-yard field goal, then going 88 yards on five plays, culminating with a Mario Manningham 26-yard touchdown catch from Eli Manning and an Ahmad Bradshaw run for the two-point conversion to tie the game, 17-17. The 28-yard field goal came shortly after Terrell Thomas intercepted a tipped Garrard pass.
• Jacksonville had a ready-made response to that, however, as the Jaguars marched down the field for Josh Scobee to hit a 42-yard field goal and give the Jaguars a 20-17 lead.
• But then, as we were all coming to expect in this back-and-forth game, the Giants came right back with a six-play, 69-yard drive that culminated in a 32-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Boss.
• And, of course, the Jaguars weren't done yet. Jacksonville marched down the field and got deep into Giants territory with two minutes to go. But the Giants sacked Garrard on three straight plays, recovering a Garrard fumble on the last of the three to seal the win. Thomas, who had already intercepted Garrard, forced the fumble.
No comments:
Post a Comment