Giggin' On Ya: Giants Win & In Part Deux

by Ben on December 21 at 7:34PM

Last Sunday night was cold and windy at Giants Stadium. Actually it was ridiculously cold and windy. Trust me, I was in section 321 wearing every article of winter clothing known to man short of a full body latex ski suit. So you can imagine my surprise when Kevin Gilbride, pronounced Kill-Drive around the Meadowlands these days, followed up a 19 yard Brandon Jacobs run off right tackle with three straight passing plays into the swirling winds. Quite a gameplan for a team that is among the league leaders in team rushing yards and has a stellar offensive line.

When all was said and done, Eli Manning had thrown 52 passes with 34 incompletions (2nd most all-time in a single game) and the Giants WRs had dropped around 10 of them. The Giants lost to Michigan legend Todd Collins and the Redskins setting up another win and in opportunity this Sunday at Buffalo.

The Bills were eliminated from playoff consideration last week; however, they loom as a difficult team to beat at home, just ask the Dallas Cowboys. They come into this game healthy with only Roscoe Parrish being listed on the injury report among their core players. With weather conditions calling for rain and wind that will make the artificial turf at Ralph Wilson stadium slick, this game should be Brandon Jacobs' time to shine.

The big man flourishes in sloppy games as evidenced by his 131 yard outburst in London and it is imperative the Giants establish him early. The Giants offense has been at their best this season when they feed off of the ground game, allowing it to set up the pass rather than forcing the issue as we saw against the skins. Jacobs is the key to the Giants moving the ball effectively against the Bills and it is important to establish him early in order to allow Eli Manning to settle into a comfort zone.

On the defensive side, the slippery conditions could be detrimental to the Giants speed rushers coming off the corners. The Bills have an up and coming young QB in Trent Edwards but lack explosiveness in their passing game outside of the underrated Lee Evans. The Giants D will need to focus on Evans; however, the Buffalo offense usually goes as Marshawn Lynch goes. The rookie RB is the would be ROY if not for Adrian Peterson and is a dynamic back. If the Giants can contain Lynch, not letting him get to the corners they should be able to control the tempo of the game.

This game might be the biggest game of the Coughlin-Eli era, as most Giants fans still do not believe in this team's ability to win a big regular season game, let alone a playoff game. Their performance on Sunday will go a long way in showing what this team will be capable of as we head towards the playoffs.