Sun Dec. 22, 1:00 pm (FOX) - Giants at Indianapolis
All the Giants have to do.
All they have to do is beat Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, and then the Eagles next week, and hope that either the Saints (9-5) or Falcons (8-5-1)
lose one of their next two games. The important ingredient here for the Giants of course, is winning. Things went the Giants way last week when they beat Dallas by a big margin, while the
Saints and Falcons managed to lose their games.
Both those teams have easier prey this week while the Giants have to step up against the Colts. Next week the Giants face the Eagles, Atlanta plays at Cleveland (7-7), and New Orleans is at
home against Carolina (5-9).
Atlanta and Cincinnati.
Atlanta faces Detroit (3-11). but the Falcons have given up a combined total of 885 yards in back-to-back losses. The Lions will try to keep Falcons quarterback Michael Vick off the field
using their running game. Also, it doesn't help that Vick sprained the thumb on his throwing hand when it hit a helmet after a pass in the loss to Seattle last week, where he had his first
two-interception game of the season. Detroit has hung tough the last two weeks losing those games with identical scores of 23-20.
The Saints play Cincinnati ( 1-15), but, but, but... Well, it turns out there is no 'but' here. Since the Bengals fast 4-3 start in 2001, they have lost 20 of 23 games. This season the Bengals
ended their 7 game losing streak with a 38-3 breakout win over the expansion team Houston Texans, and then went on to lose six more games. If Cincinnati beats New Orleans on Sunday, the Giants
are truly blessed.
Oh wait, there is one 'but'. The Bengals have lost all the rest, and so this is the last chance for them to win a game at home, in front of their many admiring fans.
Peyton Manning.
The Colts have won five of their last six games and Peyton Manning has thrown 23 touchdown passes. Manning calls a lot of audibles at the line to put the defense at a disadvantage. Luckily,
the Giants are ranked third against the pass. They get consistent pressure on the quarterback from ends Michael Strahan and Kenny Holmes, and have a strong secondary. Middle linebacker Mike
Barrow is the primary signal caller for the Giants defense, and he will try to disguise the coverage until just before the snap, to keep Manning guessing. To counter that, Manning will use
a no-huddle, or quick-huddle offense to speed things up and give the defense less of a chance at countering. Manning's main target is Marvin Harrison.
Marvin Harrison.
Harrison broke the NFL's single season receptions mark with 127, and he has two more games left. He surpassed Herman Moore's record of 123, and he has more
catches in the last four years with 453, than any other receiver. Harrison has other credits to his name. Aside from reaching 600 receptions faster than
any other player in NFL history, Harrison also became the first receiver in league history to have 4 consecutive 100-catch seasons.
This week he's up against a Giants defense that has allowed only four receivers to pick up 100 yards against them this season. They've held St.
Louis' Torry Holt to 6 catches and 88 yards, San Francisco's Terrell Owens to 4 catches for 41 yards, and Minnesota's Randy Moss to just 3 catches for 85 yards.
Edgerrin James.
The Giants rank 20th in the league against the run, with 122.5 rushing yards allowed per game. They did hold rushing leader Emmitt Smith to just 32 yards on 11 carries last week, and one has
to hope that they can continue in that vein. It won't be easy. Edgerrin James has rushed for 890 yards, and like Tiki Barber for the Giants, he poses a double threat. James is second on his
team with 54 receptions for 319 yards.
Head coach Tony Dungy revealed earlier this week that James has been suffering from high ankle sprains on both ankles since the second game of the season. He started last week, but left in
the third quarter after picking up 42 yards in 10 carries. James is listed as probable for Sunday's game.
Chad Bratzke and Dwight Freeney.
Bratzke, a ninth-year pro, played his first five seasons with the Giants, from 1994-1998. In that last year, Michael Strahan had 15 sacks and Bratzke had 11, but the Giants couldn't afford
to keep both players. Bratzke signed on with the Colts. Now Bratzke has changed positions from right end to left end, and he teams with rookie defensive end Dwight Freeney to put pressure
on the quarterback. They have combined for 16 sacks and 12 forced fumbles.
Bratzke didn't practice this week. He suffered a leg laceration last week when he was cleated in Cleveland and didn't want to tear the stiches. Head coach Tony Dungy said Friday that using
Bratzke is "a game-time decision."
The Giants offensive line has allowed just four sacks in their last five games, and they
will have to make sure the running game is working to keep Bratzke and Freeney at bay. A strong dose of Tiki Barber will help. He and Ron Dayne combined for a
total of 157 rushing yards last week, which was their third best this season.
Giants on offense.
The Giants, despite injuries to their wide receiver group, have been able to put points on the board. Looking at the last five games, they scored in the high twenties, three times, with 27,
29, and 27 points. Kerry Collins has been very sharp. Amani Toomer has been making the catches (64 catches for 983 yards), and Jeremy Shockey has been Jeremy Shockey (54 receptions).
Notes:
Giants are 0-4 against teams with winning records.
The Giants have been limited to 14 or fewer points in 6 of 14 games.
Giants rank last in the NFL in red-zone touchdown conversions at 18-for-51, 35.3 percent.
Tiki Barber is averaging 103.7 rushing yards a game and 5.2 yards a carry against AFC opponents this season.
Colts are just 7-7 at the RCA Dome the last two seasons.
Colts can be slow starters. In the five games they've lost, they were outscored 122-30 at halftime.
Colts are 0-10 when Manning throws at least three interceptions.
If Colts running back Edgerrin James rushes for 190 yards in the last two games and Peyton Manning passes for 311, the Colts will have a 4,000-yard passer,
1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver (Marvin Harrison) for the fourth consecutive season.
No other team in history has done it in two consecutive seasons.
Next Game
Dec 28, Philadelphia at Giants 1:30 PM.
Last Week's review, game 14 - Giants 37 - Dallas 7
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