• Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

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The Giants came into the game needing to stem the bleeding and end their 3 game losing streak and thanks to the brilliance of one Odell Beckham Jr. they did just that.  Though Beckham turned the ball over on the Giants very first offensive play of the game it didn’t affect his overall demeanor for the rest of the game.  He went on to have his best offensive game of his career in terms of receiving yards (8 receptions-for-222 yards and 2 touchdowns).   The Giants offense was totally out of sync in the first half and couldn’t get anything going until their 5th possession right before the end of the half.  The series was kept alive by a big Victor Cruz first down reception on 4th down and 5.  A short time later Manning connected with Roger Lewis on a 24 yard strike for the Giants first touchdown of the game.  At the half the Giants faced a 3 point deficit in spite of their offensive ineffectiveness.

The second half was marked by a series of dynamic Odell Beckham plays, a key defensive stop and a pass interference call that almost changed the outcome of the game.  With just over 2 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter and the Giants losing 13-10, Odell Beckham Jr. showed why he is one of the most gifted wide receivers in the league.  Manning’s pass down the right sideline found Beckham’s hands near the Giant 48 yard line and from there his legs did the rest as he ran it in for a 75 yard touchdown.  The Ravens very next possession started off with a 70 yard pass to wide receiver Mike Wallace who got his face mask grabbed by Janoris Jenkins at the end of the play.   The penalty added on to the play gave the Ravens a 1st and goal on the Giants third yard line.  The Giants defense pushed the Ravens to a 4th and goal and then proceeded to come up big with a stop.  Linebackers Jonathan Casillas and Mark Herzlich combined to prevent Terrance West from finding the end zone.    The Giants defense bent against the Ravens offense but didn’t break.  They gave up almost 400 yards of total offense, but when they needed to get important stops to put their offense back on the field they did.

With just over 9 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and the Giants up 17-16, Eli Manning connected with Beckham for a 43 yard completion down the left sideline.   A few plays later the Giants would kick their second field goal which gave the Giants a 4 point edge with just under 6 minutes remaining in the game.  On the Ravens following series a pivotal 3rd down and 4 play was marked by a seemingly atrocious call by the officials.  Joe Flacco’s deep pass intended for wide receiver Breshad Perriman was expertly defended by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.   When both players landed it was clear that Perriman had grabbed Rodgers-Cromartie in hopes of preventing him from potentially intercepting the pass but somehow a flag was thrown and the pass interference call went against Rodgers-Cromartie.  The 30 yard penalty gave the Ravens great field position and just three plays later Terrance West scored his second touchdown of the game giving the Ravens a 23-20 lead.  The Giants took over on their 25 yard line with 2:04 left in the game and in need of a game winning drive.  On 4th down and 1 from their own 34 yard line Manning found Beckham on a slant across the middle and he took it 66 yards for his second touchdown of the game.  The dazzling play returned the lead to the Giants, where it would stay until the clock ran out on the Ravens.

The 27-23 victory saw Eli Manning throw for 403 yards and 3 touchdowns but also two interceptions.  The first interception came on the final play of the first half as he was trying to get the team in field goal position.  The second pick came on a pass intended for Sterling Shepard who appeared to get pushed down on the play leaving the Ravens cornerback wide open to snag the pass.  Despite the Giants non existent rushing attack (38 yards on 17 carries ), Manning managed to put the ball in his playmaker’s hands multiple times in the second half which was the difference in the game.  The Giants offense looked far from good throughout the game.  It was only because of Beckham’s big play ability that the Giants managed to come out on top against the Ravens.  The win enables them to keep pace with their division rivals, the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys, who both won on Sunday.  Next week the Giants play the Los Angeles Rams in London at Twickenham stadium, kickoff is 9:30am Eastern Standard Time.

 

Dan Evans is a Contributing Writer for PureSportsNY     You can follow him on Twitter @DanEvansPSNY

By Vernon McKenzie

Graduate of New Institute Of Technology with a BA in Communications with a focus on Television Radio. Owner and Executive Producer of PureSportsNY

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