Sept. 9,
1:00 PM Jaguars at Giants
Game 1 | | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
Jaguars | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
Giants | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 15 |
Giants
lose to the Jaguars 20-15. Eli Manning was 23 of 37 for 224 yards, and 1 INT. Saquon
Barkley rushed for 106 yards on 18 carries, 1 TD, and caught 2 passes for 22 yards.
Jonathan Stewart rushed for 8 yards on 2 carries. Wayne Gallman rushed for
-1 yards on 1 carry. Odell
Beckham Jr. caught 11 passes for 111 yards. Sterling
Shepard caught 5 passes for 48 yards.
Evan Engram caught 2 passes for
18 yards. Rhett Ellison caught
1 pass for 16 yards. Janoris
Jenkins had 1 INT. Kerry
Wynn and Kareem Martin each had .5 sacks. Kaelin Clay had 1 fumble. Aldrick
Rosas kicked 27, 31, and 44 yard field goals.
"I
was feeling good that the Giants were starting off the season with a home game
at MetLife stadium. It's been a few years since that's happened, and there's always
that extra thrill in the crowd for the opening day game. I know the Giants finished
up at the Met last year with a win over the Redskins, but it's hard to remember
much excitement about that. A 3-13 season is something your mind wants to forget.
Still it was nice that interim head coach Steve
Spagnuolo got us that last win at home, and it was a good way for him to finish
up as a coach here. Today the Giants got
off to a poor start. They let the Jaguars move the ball and score a field goal
on the opening drive. Then when they got the ball it was 3-and-out, but not without
some drama. Let's just say the fans
weren't happy to see Ereck Flowers pull two penalties in 3 plays. It took away
two Eli Manning completions, and the Giants were backed up at the 4-yard line.
Saquon Barkley lost yardage on the next play, and the Jaguars almost came away
with a safety. Manning then completed a pass to Rhett Ellison which got the Giants
to the 17-yard line, and they punted. Things weren't looking good, but Janoris
Jenkins intercepted Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles three plays later, and the
team went on to tie the score at 3-3 with a field goal. You felt the Giants had
calmed down a bit and things were going to turn out right. Instead, the Jaguars
next scored a field goal, and on their next drive added a touchdown to put them
up 10 points. The Giants had a chance to score a touchdown before the end of the
half, but they still couldn't get their act together on the offensive line, and
there was constant pressure on Manning. They did manage a field goal to trail
the Jaguars 13-6. The Giants got the ball at the start of the second half and
Aldrick Rosas kicked another field goal. Then neither team moved the ball much,
and there was no scoring until the fourth quarter when Manning was intercepted
on a tipped ball. It was returned for a touchdown, and with the Giants trailing
20-9, you kind of got that sinking feeling that things weren't going to pan out
today for the Giants. Just then, two plays later, Barkley broke free with
a 68 yard touchdown run. Their two point conversion failed, and the score was
now 20-15 in favor of the Jaguars. Unfortunately, when the Giants couldn't come
up with anything on their last two possessions, that became the final score. The
ending to this game was a real killer because Manning would have had one more
shot, but Kaelin Clay fumbled the punt over to the Jaguars. You always want to
see the Giants win, but I saw some good things, and I'm looking forward to the
next game against the Cowboys."
"It
was the first game of the season, and both teams showed some of the unsteadiness
that goes along with that. Quarterback Blake Bortles led his Jaguars team downfield
on the opening drive, and Jacksonville took an early lead with a 39-yard field
goal. After the kickoff, Eli Manning was on the field at the 14-yard line. His
first pass of the season was a 6 yard completion to Odell Beckham Jr., but Ereck
Flowers drew a penalty for tripping, so no play. Next, Saquon Barkley ran with
the ball for no gain. Manning's next pass was a completion to Evan Engram
for 34 yards, but Flowers was hit once again for a penalty, this time for holding.
The Giants were now backed up at their own 4-yard line, and on the next play,
the eager Jaguar defense was all over Barkley and almost nailed him in the endzone
for a safety. Manning then managed to complete a penalty free pass to Rhett Ellison
that went for 16 yards. That provided some decent kicking room for Riley Dixon. While
the Giants offense showed how badly they could play, their defense showed how
good they could be. They allowed Bortles an 11-yard completion, but sacked him
on the next play. Janoris Jenkins intercepted Bortles next pass, and the Giants
offense looked much better on their second possession, with some nice runs by
Barkley and catches by Beckham. The Jaguars defense is tough to crack, and the
Giants stalled down near the goal line. Aldrick Rosas kicked a 27 yard field goal
to tie the score at 3-3. The Jaguars used up over half of the second quarter
on their next drive working their way downfield before kicking another field goal.
They scored a touchdown on their next drive and were up 13-3. Manning was under
constant pressure, and he took two sacks trying to get points on the board. Despite
that he was 10-10, completing every pass in the first half until he got down to
the Jacksonville 13-yard line. Reaching for a high snap, and then throwing quickly
to avoid yet another sack that would have closed out the half, he failed to connect
with Beckham in the endzone. It was third down, but with only four seconds left,
they had to go for a 31-yard field goal which made the score 13-6, and that ended
the half. The Giants had the ball at the start of the third quarter, and added
another field goal to cut the lead to 13-9. After a Jaguars 3-and-out, the Giants
went for it on a 4th-and-2 from the Jacksonville 38 yard line. Barkley ran up
the middle, but picked up only one yard. Neither team was able to score again
until the fourth quarter. The Giants had the ball at their own 30-yard line, and
with the Jaguars once again breaking through the line, Manning threw a pass that
was tipped, intercepted, and returned for a touchdown. The Jaguars had 20-9
lead, and the way things were going it looked like the Giants were done. Two plays
later though after Manning completed a 7 yard pass to Beckham, Barkley took off
on a 68 yard run for a touchdown. They tried for a two point conversion running
the ball, but Barkley came up short. It seemed a strange play to call, as Barkley
was coming off a big running play. Still, the Giants were close, trailing 20-15
with more than 10 minutes left to play. The Giants defense kept the Jaguars
from scoring for the rest of the game, but Manning's group just couldn't get it
done today. With about two minutes left, Manning at the Jacksonville 36-yard line,
tried to get a pass to Sterling Shepard on a 4th-and-6, but it was incomplete.
After a thee-and-out, with just under a minute left, the Jaguars had to punt.
Kaelin Clay muffed the punt and the Jaguars recovered the ball. Manning was robbed
of any chance for a miracle comeback, and this game was over. Overall the fans
got to see the Manning connection to Beckham and Shepard looking strong. There
was a glimpse of what Barkley could do, and the defense held its own. The offensive
line is still a work in progress. So some pieces came together today, and some
pieces are still broken from last year. Let's hope Pat Shurmur can glue things
together before next week's game in Dallas."
First
Quarter | JAGUARS
- FIELD GOAL Play:
Josh Lambo 39 Yd Field Goal Drive
info: 11
plays, 59 yards, 4:48 Jaguars 3-0 GIANTS
- FIELD GOAL Play:
Aldrick Rosas 27 Yd Field Goal Drive
info: 9
plays, 54 yards, 5:17 Tied 3-3 |
Second
Quarter | JAGUARS
- FIELD GOAL Play:
Josh Lambo 39 Yd Field Goal Drive
info: 15 plays, 54 yards, 8:04
Jaguars 6-3 JAGUARS
- TOUCHDOWN Play:
T.J. Yeldon 1 Yd pass from Blake Bortles (Josh Lambo
Kick) Drive info:
5 plays, 57 yards, 2:36 Jaguars
13-3 GIANTS
- FIELD GOAL Play:
Aldrick Rosas 31 Yd Field Goal Drive
info: 10
plays, 62 yards, 2:38 Jaguars 13-6 |
Third
Quarter |
GIANTS
- FIELD GOAL Play:
Aldrick Rosas 44 Yd Field Goal Drive
info: 11
plays, 49 yards, 5:42 Jaguars 13-9 |
Fourth
Quarter | JAGUARS
- TOUCHDOWN Play:
Myles Jack 32 Yd Interception Return (Josh Lambo
Kick) Drive info:
2 plays, 3 yards, 0:49 Jaguars
20-9 GIANTS
- TOUCHDOWN Play:
Saquon Barkley 68 Yd Run (Two-Point Run Conversion
Failed) Drive info:
2 plays, 75 yards, 0:45 Jaguars
20-15 |
Notes:
Giants
lost their opener for the 7th time in the last eight years (50-39-5 in opening
games). Giants are 17-13 in season-opening
home games (50-41-3 in home openers). Giants
Eli Manning played in his 217th regular-season game (breaks a tie with Michael
Strahan). Giants Eli Manning is
the fourth player to play 15 years with the team. Giants
Odell Beckham, Jr. now has 8 games with at least 10 receptions, extending his
record. Next Games:
Sept 16 Giants at Cowboys. Sept 23 Giants
at Houston. Giants Tickets - Buy
or Sell
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