Giants Almost Game Plan Their Way Out of 16-13 Victory Over Saints

A win is a win is a win, but man did the Giants go out of their way to secure the 16-13 victory in their home opener against the Saints.

One year after Eli Manning (6) and Drew Brees (7) combined for an NFL record 13 touchdown passes as New Orleans beat New York 52-48 in the Crescent City, the two teams largely played a game of field position –- and largely because the Giants seemed to think they were playing the reincarnation of the Bears’ 46 defense. It took until late in the second half for the Giants’ offensive architects to realize running the ball on just about every freaking first down was akin to starting a drive at second and 10. 

I said in previewing this game that New York would be making a mistake if they tried to control the clock by running the ball heavily with Rashad Jennings. Did they listen? No, they have a restraining order against me and I’m not allowed to contact the team in any capacity (which is a long story). But if you had a fantasy roster of Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz, Sterling Shepard and, uh, Rashad Jennings, where are you putting your money? If you want to win (or do better than barely escape with a 16-13 victory at home), you’re not trying to play keep away with freaking Jennings. 

Sigh. 

Anyway, let’s hand out some hardware for Hero, Nero, Zero, even though I’m tempted to make this a Nero, Nero, Nero affair with all the honors going to the Giants’ offensive coaches. 

Hero: Victor Cruz. 

Late in the fourth quarter, with the score tied 13-13, the Giants finally tired of running to darkness and threw a long pass down the near sideline to Odell Beckham Jr. The ball landed right in his Hamburger Helper mitts –- and he dropped it. It was one of the few deep throws attempted all day by Eli Manning, who probably had the quietest 300-yard passing game in NFL history (368 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions). 

If you have a future Hall of Fame quarterback and this particulate triumvirate of receivers, how are you not taking shots down field on the regular? Most likely Beckham, Shepard or Cruz is going to come down with the pass or at the very least break it up, which is exactly what happened on the play directly after Beckham’s drop. Manning threw long for Cruz and the salsa king of Chicago (is he from the Windy City? Well he should be) went up, tangled with the Saints’ d-back and game down with the ball on New Orleans’ doorstep. 

After killing the clock to assure Drew Brees wouldn’t have time for a game-winning drive, the Giants lined up for the game-winning 23-yard kick from Josh Brown. I’m glad it was only a chip shot for Brown and not something that he deserved praise for afterwards. This game was hard enough to stomach without having to see Brown (who missed Week 1 after being suspended for a domestic violence incident with his ex-wife) feted as a hero. 

Nero: The Giants’ offensive masterminds. 

After the game, Manning and the Giants were saying all the right things, attributing the low-scoring game to the Saints’ defensive game plan. Apparently that game plan involved hoping the Giants would barely take ANY shots down the field. 

In the first half, Jennings had this gaudy stat line: 11 carries for 24 yards, with a long of 7. Manning, meanwhile, was 15 of 18. But by all means, keep running the ball. 

Playing keep away makes sense if you’re a team with a sieve-like defense. The 2015 Giants were that team. The 2016 team are not. New cornerback Janoris Jenkins had a terrific game, breaking up several passes and picking up the ball and returning it for a touchdown after Johnathan Hankins blocked a New Orleans field goal attempt. The Saints were working hard for everything, with fleet-footed star receiver Brandin Cooks (68 yards) and Mark Ingram (9 carries for 30 yards) and Tim Hightower (3 carries for 9 yards) all held in check. 

Meanwhile, the Giants had three wide receivers with more than 86 yards receiving (including Shepard with a game-high 117 yards on 8 catches) – and they won by three points as time expired. 

But if you had Jennings on your fantasy team – final line: 13 carries for 27 yards – you must have been stoked. 

Zero: Offensive touchdowns by the Giants. 

Throw. The. Damn. Ball. Down. The. Field.

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