Giants tune up on Cards and get an easy win.
Giants were up 21-0 until near the end of the 3rd quarter.
Kerry Collins completed 20 of 30 passes for 232 yards and 1 TD.
Keith Hamilton had 3 sacks.
Former Giants starter Dave Brown had a poor showing against the Giants.
Giants stayed a half-game behind 1st place Eagles in the NFC East.

The Giants win it 31-7.
"I know, and that sounds great, but I was more impressed watching the Redskins play the Eagles earlier on TV. That's one advantage of not being at a game, you get to see what the competition is up to. It's a good bonus, but I'll take going to the game any day. I like my seats and the feeling of seeing everything live. Anyway, it's hard to believe we beat the Eagles twice the way they're playing, but our win keeps us close."

Jim Fassel guaranteed the playoffs.
"Yes, and now I guess we're on the way with this win over the Cards. It was good to see them score on their first possession. That hasn't happened in a long while, and it sets a good tone for the game. The Giants won easy, but the rest of them will be tougher. Next week the Giants will be away playing the Redskins. When we're playing the Redskins, the Eagles will be playing the Titans. That's two big games. Then I'll be catching the Giants at the stadium against Pittsburgh. I don't know if I'll see Kent Graham playing against Kerry Collins. I don't think Kent has done that well."

How about Kerry Collins?
"He was on, and he played great. What gets me, is that he can throw the hard quick stuff with a lot of accuracy. There can be a bunch of defenders around our guy, but we come out with the ball. When he throws deep though, it always seems to be overthrown. Maybe he's just trying to put the deep ones where no one else could get them. I think in the Redskin game, he's going to have to be a bit more accurate with those too."

Jim Fassel guaranteed the playoffs.
"When he said it, everyone was taken by surprise. Later on as you think things over, you have to wonder if Fassel had a good feeling about his coaching, or if he's just good at math. With five games left, the Giants should make it if they pick up three wins, and could even maybe slide by with just 2. Fassel had to figure to win against the Cards, and the toughest game should be against Washington next week. That will be the real test. If they win that one, you have to say that they have the right attitude to win against the Steelers, Cowboys and Jaguars."

The Giants win it 31-7.
"The Giants turned the clock back today. They turned it all the way back to Game 1 where they created "Thunder and Lightning". Tiki and Ron combined for 36 running plays, the exact amount they had in game 1 against the Cards. Collins threw a little more this time and with better results. The Giants got away with right guard Ron Stone not starting because of bruised ribs. Also, tackle Lomas Brown had to leave in the first quarter with a sprained ankle. Against a tougher defense, things might not have turned out so well. I did like the pass rush. Keith Hamilton was a one man team getting 3 sacks. He leads the Giants now with 8, the second highest total to his career high of 11 1/2. Jurevicius did just fine subbing for Ike Hilliard."

How about the special teams this week?
"The good news is that the special teams were no news. Don't get me wrong, the Cards are the No. 1 kickoff return team in the NFL, but there was nothing to get too excited about either way, and that's a big improvement over the past few weeks. The "new" guy, Damon Washington did just fine in his first game as the gunner, and the rest of the coverage was good too. It didn't hurt to have Jason Sehorn and Shaun Williams in on the coverage teams."

How about the game next week?
"Gamegirl made a good point about Kerry Collins. When the Giants get behind in a game, those deep passes become more important. The Giants don't seem to make them and never come back in a game. Maybe Kerry is trying too hard to avoid interceptions, trying to put it out of reach, but there are going to be situations were Amani Toomer, and "too-tall Jurevicius" are going to have to fight it out with the corners and come done with the long ball. Against the Redskins, the Giants are going to have to put it all together to win. We need that pass rush like we had this game, good special teams, the thunder and lightning show, and Collins throwing deep."

Stats

Passing
Giants - Kerry Collins 20-30 for 232 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT.
Cards - Dave Brown 18-36 for 191 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, Chris Greisen 2-3 for 19 yards, 0 INT.

Rushing
Giants - Ron Dayne 24-86, Amani Toomer 2-31, Tiki Barber 12-31, Jason Garrett 2-(-2).
Cards - Michael Pittman 14-74, Thomas Jones 2-11.

Receiving
Giants - Joe Jurevicius 6-71, Amani Toomer 4-58, Tiki Barber 4-52, Pete Mitchell 3-28, Ron Dixon 1-13, Howard Cross 1-5, Daniel Campbell 1-5.
Cards - Michael Pittman 10-96, Frank Sanders 3-44, David Boston 1-31, Terry Hardy 2-13, MarTay Jenkins 1-13, Chris Gedney 1-6, Thomas Jones 1-4, Mac Cody 1-3..

Interceptions
Giants - Reggie Stephens 1 for 2.

Kickoff Returns
Giants - Ron Dixon 2 for 36.MarTay Jenkins 6 for 158.
Cards - MarTay Jenkins 6 for 158.

Punt Returns
Giants - Tiki Barber 2 for 2. Arizona (Mac Cody 1 for 9.
Cards - Mac Cody 1 for 9.

Fumbles lost
Giants - Tiki Barber.
Cards - Dave Brown 2, Chris Greisen

Opponent's fumbles recovered
Giants - Michael Strahan 2, George Williams 1.
Cards - Arizona Pat Tillman 1.

Tackles-assists-sacks (unofficial)
Giants - Keith Hamilton 7-0-3, Jessie Armstead 5-0-0, Dave Thomas 5-0-0, Michael Strahan 4-1-0, Jason Sehorn 4-1-0, Ryan Phillips 4-0-1, Pete Monty 2-0-0, Shaun Williams 2-0-0, Sam Garnes 1-1-0, Michael Barrow 1-0-0, Emmanuel Mcdaniel 1-0-0, Cornelius Griffin 1-0-1, Kevin Lewis 1-0-0, Team 0-0-1.
Cards - Ronald Mckinnon 11-3-1, Rob Fredrickson 7-5-0, Mao Tosi 6-2-0, Pat Tillman 3-5-0, Raynoch Thompson 4-1-0, Aeneas Williams 4-1-0, Brad Ottis 3-2-0, Corey Chavous 4-0-0, Kwamie Lassiter 2-2-0, Russell Davis 2-0-0, David Barrett 1-1-0, Andre Wadsworth 1-1-0, Simeon Rice 1-0-0, Justin Lucas 1-0-0, Tom Knight 1-0-0, Jabari Issa 0-1-0.

Net yards rushing
Giants - 146
Cards - 88

Net yards passing
Giants - 225
Cards - 179

Time of Possession
Giants - 34:43
Cards - 25:17

Scoring:

1ST QUARTER:
NYG - Daniel Campbell 5 Yard TD Pass from Kerry Collins (Brad Daluiso Extra Point), 9:32. N.Y. Giants 7-0
2ND QUARTER:
NYG - Ron Dayne 2 Yard TD Run (Brad Daluiso Extra Point), 10:15. N.Y. Giants 14-0
3RD QUARTER:
NYG - Tiki Barber 23 Yard TD Run (Brad Daluiso Extra Point), 6:24. N.Y. Giants 21-0
ARI - Michael Pittman 36 Yard TD Pass from Dave Brown (Cary Blanchard Extra Point), 2:01. N.Y. Giants 21-7
4TH QUARTER:
NYG - Amani Toomer 19 Yard TD Run (Brad Daluiso Extra Point), 10:06. N.Y. Giants 28-7
NYG - Brad Daluiso 25 Yard Field Goal, 6:49. N.Y. Giants 31-7

Notes:
Giants are now 2-8 when former Giants quarterbacks start against them.

Next Game
Dec 3, Giants at Washington 1PM

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