Game 7 Summary

Well, that wasn't pretty, either, but at least the defense had some fire to it tonight. But even the Giants can't commit four turnovers and expect to win. When Eli Manning throw three interceptions, one in the end zone, and Ahmad Bradshaw loses a fumble in the final minutes, about the only result one can expect is the 24-17 loss the Giants suffered to fall to 5-2.

There is probably reason to worry now, given two losses in a row and the fact that TE Kevin Boss was taken in for x-rays after a huge hit following a 25-yard catch in the fourth quarter. The offense had no rhythm, and they failed to come up with the truly big plays. The special teams actually hurt them this game. Jeff Feagles was a big culprit, hitting four punts in a row less than 35 yards, the first three from deep in his own territory.

The only good thing to this game was the defense, which put front-four pressure on Kurt Warner. But the ex-Giant completed enough passes to counter whatever little offense the Giants produced.

For a full statistical rundown of the game, I'm linking to the NFL site so you have all the stats at your fingertips. But here's my summary.

BIG PLAYS:

Eli Manning threw a great ball to Domenik Hixon that should have gone for a 47-yard touchdown and a 7-0 first-quarter lead. If only cornerback Dominique Rogers-Cromartie hadn't been there to spoil the party. Instead, Rogers-Cromartie went up with Hixon, got his hands on the ball, and wrestled it away for an interception and a touchback as the two tumbled into the end zone.

With the score tied at 7 late in the second quarter, Manning looked for Mario Manningham deep near the sideline. Rogers-Cromartie got his hand on that one and knocked it into the air -- right into the hands of Hakeem Nicks, who was standing about 10 yards away in an open area. Nicks took it 62 yards for a touchdown and a 14-7 lead.

After fair-catching a Cardinals' punt at the Giants' 17, down 24-17 in the fourth, the offense was moving the ball. But Bradshaw, struggling for extra yards, got the ball knocked loose and lost it with just over four minutes to go. "Ahmad is an extra-effort running back," coach Tom Coughlin said. "When he does that, sometimes the ball leaves his side. He was fighting to break tackles and the ball got knocked out."

The Giants' had one last shot, having moved the ball from their 1 to the Arizona 39 as the clock ran under two minutes in the game. But his throw to Steve Smith was intercepted by Antrel Rolle, and Kurt Warner kneeled out the rest of the clock.

THE VETS:

Eli Manning: A 19-for-37, 243-yard, one-touchdown day was ruined by three interceptions.

Jeff Feagles: Seven punts for a 34.3-yard average marked his worst effort in a long, long time. At one point, he hit four punts in a row that failed to travel 35 yards. He had one outright shank of 28 yards, but said the others were the fault of some bad angles he took to assure premier punt returner Steve Breaston wouldn't get a hold of one.

Mathias Kiwanuka: He had some good pressure and had one of the Giants' two sacks on Warner.

Kevin Boss: He showed toughness in grabbing that 25-yarder that ended in what Tom Coughlin thought was a helmet-to-helmet hit. He finished with three catches for 35 yards.

THE KIDS:

Hakeem Nicks: In addition to becoming the first Giants rookie since Bobby Johnson in 1984 to catch four touchdown passes in his first four games, he grabbed four balls for a team-high 80 yards.

Will Beatty: He made his first career start in place of Kareem McKenzie and didn't do badly. He didn't give up a sack, and his block on Manning's fourth-quarter scramble bought the quarterback enough time to hit Nicks for 12 yards and a first-down on the ill-fated fourth-quarter final drive.

THE UGLY STUFF:

As much as the offense lacked rhythm, they were still close enough in the fourth quarter to continue to run the ball. Instead, they went with almost a straight passing game, putting it up seven times in 10 plays on the final drive that ended with Manning's third interception. Manning wound up throwing 37 times, while the Giants ran only 26.

The interior of the offensive line had major problems keeping out the pressure and clearing running lanes. Shaun O'Hara had a bad day, and Rich Seubert gave up a key sack.

THE MISS:

Down 24-14 in the fourth and sitting third-and02 on the Arizona 46, Manning chose to throw deep to Manningham instead of finding someone on a shorter, higher percentage pass to get the first down. Manningham caught the ball, but was out of bounds. "They had an all-out blitz," Manning said. "It wasn't a bad opportunity to try to get something down the field, just try to make a play. But it was a bad throw on my part."

THE BUMPS:

TE Kevin Boss was taken for x-rays following his 25-yard catch. No word on his condition yet.


EP