| Giants
(0-1) vs Redskins (0-1)
Last week the
Rams had hope when running back Steven Jackson rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown
on their first play of the game to make the score 7-0 against the Eagles. Things
looked good at the start of their next possession, when Jackson next ran for 9
yards, but then he left the game feeling a quad injury. Rams receivers didn't
help quarterback Sam Bradford with six dropped passes and they lost to the Eagles
31-13.
The Giants turned in a poor performance against the Redskins. Preseason
concerns turned into regular season realities as the Giants struggled on both
offense and defense. Eli Manning's front line and receivers were unreliable, and
the secondary was torched. The Giants sustained a 28-14 important opening day
divisional loss to the Redskins. St.
Louis Rams.
Since leaving his Giants defensive coordinator
job, Steve Spagnuolo is now in his third year coaching the Rams. He took the team
from 1-15 in 2009 to 7-9 in 2010 and that was almost enough in the weak NFC West
to win the division. The 7-9 Seahawks edged them out for that title, by beating
them in the last game of the season 16-6.
To improve their 26th ranked offense,
the Rams brought in former Broncos coach Josh McDaniels
to be the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Known for his play calling,
he's working with quarterback Sam Bradford
who was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by The Associated Press. Bradford
will be more of a team leader this year and is making calls at the line of scrimmage
to set up pass protection instead of center Jason Brown. Rams
offense.
They lost starting running back Steven
Jackson early last game and he may be out for this next one. Cadillac
Williams took over and had 91 yards on 19 carries or about 5 yards per carry.
Like Jackson, Williams can also be a receiving threat. He pulled in 6 catches
for 49 yards. Overall they rushed for 163 yards, averaging over 6 yards a carry
against the Eagles. The bigger sized Giant defenders should be harder to rush
against.
They seemed to give up the long passing game going in by not activating
deep threat Danario Alexander. Was that an acknowledgment to the Eagles tough
secondary, or basic concerns with their offensive line which did look weak against
the Eagles pass rush? Last year, despite Bradford's passing numbers, he was ranked
30th in the league in yards per pass attempt as they slowly broke him into the
pros. Rams
defense.
They had a tough time defending against
the run last week. Eagles quarterback Michael Vick alone nailed them for 99 yards
on the ground and Eagles overall had 239 yards rushing. The Rams defense let them
get 8 of 11 third downs, and gave up 16 plays for at least double digit yardage.
Defensive end Robert Quinn, who was drafted
for his pass-rushing skills, was inactive for some reason in the first game against
the Eagles and the elusive Michael Vick. Things get worse for the Rams this week
with cornerback Ron Bartell out for the season having suffered two breaks in his
neck. Also defensive back Bradley Fletcher has a sprained toe that might limit
his gameplay. Giants offense.
Eli Manning is working without some essential
tools, and after seeing him struggle last week, the Giants moved fast. Victor
Cruz did not deliver a great imitation of former Giant Steve Smith and they quickly
signed veteran slot receiver Brandon Stokley. They converted on only one of their
10 third-down opportunities against the Redskins and Stokley could help keep drives
going. Hakeem Nicks was effective last week
gaining 122 yards on 7 receptions and says he's healthy enough to play. Jake Ballard
impressed with the first two catches of his career, one a nice diving reception
and the other a 41-yard catch.
Even though the front line had trouble on obvious
short yardage situations, Brandon Jacobs was able to plow through for 29 yards
on his 6 carries and Ahmad Bradshaw gained 44 yards on 13 carries including 1
touchdown. They seemed to abandon the running game as that totaled just 19 calls
for their running backs. If you remember, Tom Coughlin said he regretted not using
Brandon Jacobs more last season where he carried
the ball only 147 times and averaged 5.6 yards per carry. So who out-argued him?
Who can? Giants defense.
Having Justin Tuck on the field of play
is a lot better than having him on the sidelines cheering things on which is where
he was last week. If he can make it back, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford will be
forced to make quicker decisions and that will certainly help out the Giants secondary.
They gave away too much to Rex Grossman and his receivers last week, 305 yards
and two touchdowns. Six pass plays went for 20 yards-plus, and tight end Fred
Davis had 5 catches for 105 yards.
Their job gets a bit easier as Bradford's
top target, receiver Danny Amendola, is out with a dislocated elbow. Jason Pierre-Paul
brought up front pressure with his 2 sacks and the forced fumble. They'll probably
see Danario Alexander who was inactive last week. On the ground the defense showed
strength even without Tuck and Kenny Phillips was sharp and aggressive. They held
the Redskins to 74 yards on just less then 3 yards per carry. Overall.
Injuries are killing both these teams and both
need a victory on Monday to avoid a dreaded 0-2 start. The loss would mean they'd
have to win about three of every four games to finish at 11-5 or 10-6. That might
work for the Rams in their division, but it leaves little room for error for a
Giants team that tends to fade down the stretch.
The Rams hope
to improve on their record to maybe win their division this time, but the schedule
makers granted them no favors. They took a real tough draw pulling the Eagles
for opening day, and they face the rest of the NFC East, Baltimore, Green Bay
and New Orleans all in the first 7 games. NFC
East.
The NFC East games are spread throughout the day on Sunday with
the Giants playing on Monday night. On Sunday the Redskins (1-0) host the Cardinals
(1-0) at 1pm and Rex Grossman will pray that the magic continues. The Cowboys
(0-1) play at San Francisco (1-0) at 4:05pm where Tony Romo hopes to avoid the
kind of crucial mistakes he made last week losing to the Jets. The Eagles play
at Atlanta at 8:20pm where it's the first time Michael Vick will be the starting
quarterback in his old home town. All the NFC East teams are favored to win their
games. Check out.
The Team Giants Store,
and see some of the really unique items we put together.
There are some items
you certainly haven't seen elsewhere, and each sale helps out our site.
Giants DVDs and
Posters. 
TeamGiants on Twitter.
Notes.
Giants will have members of the 1986 Super
Bowl team sign autographs prior to the game.
The autograph session from 7-8
p.m. will be located at the stadium's four main entrances.
All fans in line
will receive a commemorative 25th anniversary 5"x7" autograph card. Giants
1986 champions will be honored with a special halftime ceremony on Monday night.
Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo was
the Giants defensive coordinator for the 2007 and 2008. Rams
have a game-day captain who once played for the Giants - defensive tackle Fred
Robbins. Rams have lost four straight
to the Giants since a 15-14 win in 2001. 
Next
Games
Sept 25 - Giants at Eagles.
Giants
Tickets - Buy
or Sell
Oct 2 - Giants at Cards.
Giants
Tickets - Buy
or Sell
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