Washington again.
If it seems like the Giants just played the Redskins, well they just did. The Giants highest scoring game of the season (23-9) came against the Redskins that last time out, but it was closer than the score looks. The Giants scored 23 points, aided by Jason Sehorn's interception and subsequent touchdown return. Since scraping by with that close game win, the Giants have lost two low scoring games, each by one point. Meanwhile, the Redskins are coming off their first win of the season. How are these two teams viewed? One newspaper reporter, listing his blowout games of the week, put it this way, "Giants over Redskins, giving 7½: If you want to call a 9-0 win a blowout".

Giants touchdowns game by game.
Game 1 - Denver 31 Giants 20
Kerry Collins had three touchdown passes, two to Amani Toomer for 43 and 11 yards, and one to Marcellus Rivers.
Game 2 - Giants 13 Kansas City 3
Ron Dayne ran the ball in for a 7 yard touchdown.
Game 3 - Giants 21 New Orleans 13
Ron Dayne and Tiki Barber both had touchdown runs, and Kerry Collins hit Joe Jurevicius for a 46 yard touchdown.
Game 4 - Giants 23 Washington 9
Collins tossed Dan Campbell 1 Yard Pass, and then Jason Sehorn turned an interception into a 34 yard touchdown.
Game 5 - Rams 15 Giants 14
Ron Dayne scored on a 4 yard run, and Kerry Collins to Ike Hilliard with a 25 yard touchdown pass.
Game 6 - Eagles 10 Giants 9
No touchdowns.

Total = 11 touchdowns over 6 games this season.
Six passing (with 3 coming in the first game), four rushing, and one scored by the defense.

Think the Giants need a new quarterback?
When touchdowns get thin, people will start pointing fingers, and they usually aim them at the guy who is supposed to lead the team all the way into the endzone. Quarterbacks get lots of attention when fans watch their team stall over and over again, and then go home to see all the action on highlight films.
Kerry Collins believes the offense is ahead of where it was a year ago. "In the past two games, we have done good things," he said. "The reason we haven't scored points is we've hurt ourselves. We have nobody to blame but ourselves." Now just who is he talking about? Is it Kerry Collins, or could it be a lack of offensive weapons, or maybe the play-calling?

Play-calling comes under attack.
Last week we said that no teams know how to play each other better than division rivals. In that Monday night game, the Giants had a first down at the Eagles' 12-yard line or closer three times, and each time they were stopped and had to settle for field goals. On one play, the Eagles defensive players began calling out "Shovel! Shovel!" before a snap in their redzone. Three defenders were there to greet Ike Hilliard taking a shovel pass out of that recognizable formation. What's going on here?

Payton calls the plays that Kerry runs.
It was Giants offensive coordinator Sean Payton's play-calling that got the Giants to the Super Bowl last year. Since Payton took over, Fassel has only called one or two plays. How fitting is it that he called a fourth-down TD pass to tight end Pete Mitchell last year against Dallas? Is the Giants game plan too simple without a receiving tight end?

Fassel decides who plays.
This brings up the Pete Mitchell mystery. Pete had 58 receptions for 520 yards in his first year with the Giants. That was a career high for him and more than a Giants tight end had caught in years. Pete was injured last season, and then the Giants seemed hesitant to use him even when he was healthy. Seldom used, Pete still managed 25 receptions for 245 yards last year. Pete's gone from the Giants this year and no one has taken his place. They got him in the first place because Fassel fells that the teams that teams that win the Super Bow have a receiving tight end.
Without Pete Mitchell through six games, Giants tight ends Dan Campbell and rookie Marcellus Rivers have caught just 3 passes. Even Howard Cross averaged about 23 receptions a year from 1991 to 1997.

So here we are.
Thoughts lead to Kerry Collins being ineffective, Sean Payton calling wrong plays, Jim Fassel not putting the right players on the field, or maybe even Ernie Accorsi has a stake in this, because maybe the Giants don't have the right players available to fill in for injured ones, and the offense is certainly has been hurting this year from the front line to the play makers. As the season moves on, if the defense stays solid, the Giants should improve with the offense getting healthier. Then if there is a real problem, it will be masked for the season, until maybe, I don't know, the Super Bowl?

Last game.
The winless Redskins came to town, bringing with them their 31st-ranked defense and 31st-ranked offense. It should have been an easy game for the Giants especially when Bruce Smith dislocated his right shoulder on Washington's first defensive play of the game. Remember how it went?
It was tied 9-9 going into the fourth quarter, with all the scoring coming off field goals. The Giants finally pulled ahead 16-9, but the Redskins had a chance to tie it up when Collins threw an interception. Washington had a first down at the Giants 33 with 4:49 left in the game. They got nowhere and punted, but the Giants had to take over at their own 10 yard line, and then had to punt it away from their 9.
Everyone was still holding their breath when Redskins quarterback Tony Banks' next pass was intercepted by Jason Sehorn. He returned it for a 34 yard touchdown to put the game out of reach.

Notes:
Giants have limited the opposition to 15 or fewer points in five straight games.

Giants have limited opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in five straight games.

Giants have totaled 4 or more sacks in four straight games.

Redskins offense has scored just 3 touchdowns in six games this season

Under head coach Jim Fassel, including playoffs, the Giants are 24-10-1 vs. NFC East opponents.

Next Game
Nov 4, Dallas at Giants at 1PM.

For those very organized fans.
If you use a Palm Pilot and want to keep the Giants schedule, and actually the whole NFL schedule on it, there is a free download available here at PFL.

Last Week's review, game 6 - Giants 9 - Eagles 10

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