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Giants (0-1) vs Falcons (1-0)
Last
Sunday the Giants had an opportunity to beat the Dallas Cowboys on the road in
the season opener, but let it slip away. Some poor play calling on offense and
time management gave the Cowboys a chance to stage a last minute comeback which
they did, winning the game 27-26.
On Monday
night the Atlanta Falcons held an impressive 20-3 halftime lead over the Philadelphia
Eagles. They let the Eagles come back and were trailing in the fourth quarter.
They managed to pull ahead 26-24 and when the Eagles missed on a field goal and
threw an interception on their last two opportunities the Falcons had the win.
Giants - Cowboys
Wrap-Up
Atlanta
Falcons
New head coach Dan Quinn got his
team off to a great start. Quinn is a first time head coach coming off a very
successful run as defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. Defense has
been a big problem spot for the Falcons over the past few years and Quinn seemed
to be a good fit although it meant releasing Mike Smith. The head coach over five
years had taken the team to a 57-28 record including five postseason games. The
back to back 4 and 6 win seasons after that, combined with an ever declining defense,
led to the change.
Quinn is getting a big dose of the NFC East, facing all
four teams in his first five games. That may have seemed a bit ominous for a first
time coach before the season started, but maybe not so much after seeing their
first performance last week against the Eagles, considered by many to be the strongest
team in the division. Seeing how they handled their first game under new leadership,
Atlanta will be ready for this matchup with the Giants. Atlanta
Falcons Offense
One
of the biggest things that needed to be addressed on the offense was getting more
pass protection for Matt Ryan. He has been sacked 75 times in the past two years
- about four to five times a game. Working behind this line they put together
for the 2015 season, he took no sacks and only three quarterback hits. Third round
draft pick Tevin Coleman took some pressure off the passing game, rushing for
80 yards on 20 carries. The Eagles didn't know how to handle the rookie making
his first start, but they studied up on his counterpart, Devonta Freeman, who
wasn't as successful, with 10 carries for 18 yards. Freeman has good hands and
did catch 3 passes for 29 yards.
The real standout of course was Julio Jones
who had 9 catches for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns and he was recognized as the
NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Ryan's old reliable receiver, Roddy White, pulled
in 4 catches for 84 yards. In the second half of their game on Monday Ryan was
blitzed more and got a bit sloppy with a few of his passes that actually bounced
off the backs of defenders. The Giants will have to generate a pass rush while
still remembering that Jones and White will be more dangerous on the loose behind
them. Atlanta Falcons
Defense
This defense has been a problem
for the team for a number of years, declining from an overall 12th, to 24th, 28th
and finally 32nd, last place. When it came to sacks they ranked next to last with
22. On Monday they got off to a very impressive start in the first half, but then
faded in the second allowing three touchdowns and that almost cost them the game.
The difference was in their pass rush which diminished, even knowing that the
Eagles were going to pass more since they were so far behind. They registered
no quarterback sacks, but Sam Bradford was hit eight times by a mix of seven different
players. Overall, they had Bradford uncomfortable and on the move, and he threw
two interceptions.
Against the run they did very well. DeMarco Murray and Ryan
Mathews combined for only 13 yards on 11 carries. Darren Sproles had them off
balance, rushing for 50 yards on 5 carries and taking in 7 passes for 76 yards.
They saw more of Sproles in the second half helping the Eagles make their comeback.
Overall, though only one game, this defense looks much improved and the Giants
will have to study up on what the Eagles did in the second half against them.
Giants offense
Last week they came up with just one rushing touchdown and a total time of possession
of less than 23 minutes. That would have been much better if
Preston Parker was able to hang onto the ball. Three offensive series died along
with his dropped passes on third down, and overall Parker caught just 2 of the
6 Manning threw to him. Of course, they possibly could have had two rushing touchdowns
and won the game if Eli Manning hadn't told Rashad Jennings not to score not once,
but twice. It would be nice if Victor Cruz was able to be on the field with Odell
Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle, but he's out again this week. Right now it looks
like all you have to do is double cover Beckham and you're set. Dwayne Harris
might get a shot if Parker continues down this path where it looks like he's working
undercover for the other team.
Against the Cowboys Jennings carried the ball
13 times and averaged 4.0 yards per carry, and Shane Vereen had only 3 opportunities,
but made them good for 4.7. The difference was that Eli Manning threw to Vereen
5 times and he pulled in 4 for 46 yards. Vereen, like Darren Sproles, is a dual
threat so expect to see him out on the field more this week to exploit the Falcons
defense. The running game could be tricky here against the Falcons judging by
the level of talent they handled so well last week, but Sproles was their weak
point. Giants defense
There
wasn't much pressure on Tony Romo last week and the good news is that the Giants
weren't really trying. This seems strange, but it's not as bad as it sounds, and
wasn't the same as Eli Manning telling Rashad Jennings not to score. It turns
out, as defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo later explained, that he did not
include all of the blitzes and gimmicks he would have liked, as a way to ease
the burden on his young group and to have them focus more on coverage. As we suggested
in our Game 1 preview, they likely wouldn't have had much success against the
Cowboys tough offensive line anyway. The Falcons front line did a good job in
their game, but they are quite a few notches down from the Cowboys.
The Giants
defense has had one week of real play under Spagnuolo's system and he's said he
plans to not only get better pressure with the front four, but send others more
often against Matt Ryan. Linebacker Uani Unga started in place of Jon Beason last
week and did a real nice job, even coming up with an interception, and Beason
is listed as doubtful for this game. The Giants
corners played well, with Prince Amukamara covering Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams,
and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie came up with a nice 57-yard fumble return for
a touchdown. This week their focus will be on Julio Jones and Roddy White. Overall
The
Falcons are on a short week after playing on Monday night and have to travel to
play the Giants. That would give a slight edge to the Giants if they aren't still
stuck with a hangover from losing their game on Sunday. Julio Jones has a sore
hamstring and that might slow him down just a bit. The
Cowboys game wasn't a 'must-win' game, but the Giants, by their own actions, turned
it into a 'must lose' one. They could have been standing tall as the only team
in the NFC East with one win and no losses, instead it's the Cowboys. This game
is more of a 'must win' in light of how things have gone the last two seasons
where losses continued on. This week I expect the Giants to right things and get
back on a winning track. NFC
East
At 1:00pm Sunday, the same time the
Giants are playing the Falcons, the Redskins (0-1) will host the Rams (1-0). Later
at 4:25pm the Cowboys (1-0) will take on the Eagles (0-1) in Philadelphia. The
Giants and Eagles are favored to win in these games.
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Notes.
Giants
last week had a total of 17 of their 26 points against the Cowboys coming off
of takeaways.
Giants last year played
against the Falcons at MetLife and the won that game, 30-20. Giants
Odell Beckham Jr. caught his first touchdown in his pro debut in that game against
the Falcons. Giants will honor one of
their greatest teams on Sunday both before and during the home opener. Falcons
safety William Moore was fined $23,000 for an illegal hit on Eagles wide receiver
Jordan Matthews. Falcons Julio Jones
was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Falcons
Julio Jones is the game’s highest-paid receiver ($47.5 million guaranteed).
Next Games
Sept 24- Washington at Giants.
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Oct 4- Giants at Buffalo.
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