Beckham, in Debut, and Williams Help Giants Top Falcons
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - After a Sept. 25 victory, the Giants had nine days to delight in a two-game winning streak that had resurrected their season.
The season's 0-2 start seemed a distant memory, with the Giants appearing to have righted the ship. Helping to improve their mood, the Giants' next opponent, the Atlanta Falcons, was set to visit MetLife Stadium with a starting lineup depleted by injuries.
Perhaps the Giants spent too much time savoring their good fortune. With a mistake-filled start, the Giants soon trailed Atlanta by 10 points.
But two previously unsung rookies shook the Giants out of their overconfident slumber: running back Andre Williams and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who led the Giants to a stirring rally and a pivotal 30-20 victory.
Beckham, a first-round draft choice belatedly making his debut because of a lingering hamstring injury, scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 15-yard completion from Eli Manning in the fourth quarter. Williams scored on a powerful 3-yard run late in the third quarter, which trimmed the Giants' deficit to 20-17.
The Giants (3-2) have rejoined the race for the top spot in the N.F.C. East, and their next two games, at Philadelphia and at Dallas, will give them an opportunity to create some separation.
The Falcons (2-3), whose offense entered the game tied for the N.F.L. lead in total yards, extended their lead to 20-10 in the third quarter as quarterback Matt Ryan avoided a blitz and connected with running back Antone Smith for a 74-yard touchdown.
On the Giants' next series, Beckham was open down the sideline, but Manning's pass sailed out of bounds and out of reach.
It was not the last time that Beckham proved the Atlanta defense could not cover him.
A couple of plays later, he was open again, and this time he drew a 26-yard pass interference penalty. A Manning pass to Williams picked up 14 yards. Williams, stepping in for the injured starter Rashad Jennings, soon gained 11 more yards with a run up the middle, and the Giants were at the Falcons' 3-yard line.
Williams, who led the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing last season while with Boston College, then took a handoff and slammed into Atlanta safety Kemal Ishmael at the 1-yard line. Williams knocked Ishmael into the end zone and threw himself over the goal line for the touchdown that cut the Falcons' lead to 3 points.
The rejuvenated Giants defense forced Atlanta to punt after three plays, and Manning had a 22-yard completion to Victor Cruz. With the Giants approaching the goal line, Manning failed to see Beckham sprinting alone in the end zone on one play, but two plays later he threw toward Beckham, who made a nice adjustment with the ball in the air, jumping to make the catch for the touchdown that put the Giants ahead, 24-20.
It was the first score as a Giant for Beckham, whose hamstring injury kept him out of the preseason and the Giants' first four games.
The Giants' defense, which had been overpowered by the Falcons in the first half, continued to swarm Atlanta's injury-depleted offensive line in the second half, and Giants kicker Josh Brown added a 50-yard field goal with about five minutes left.
Atlanta went for it on a fourth-and-1 with 4 minutes 40 seconds remaining, but Ryan was sacked by defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins. That led to a final Brown field goal, a 26-yarder with 2:08 to play.
The Giants opened the scoring in the game with an 11-play, 83-yard drive in the first quarter. The key play was a pass from Manning to Preston Parker for 42 yards.
A confused Atlanta secondary had failed to cover Parker, who was streaking down the field. Manning saw him, but his pass was behind Parker and short, too. As Parker spun around to make the catch, he lost his balance and fell to the turf near the Falcons' 20-yard line.
A better pass would have resulted in a touchdown. Still, six plays later - after a few failed pass attempts toward the end zone - Manning connected with Rueben Randle for a 3-yard touchdown, and the Giants took a 7-0 lead.
The Giants had stopped the Falcons on their initial drive, but during Atlanta's second possession, the defense had trouble stopping the Falcons' running attack. That set up play-action passes, and soon the game was tied.
Steven Jackson's 10-yard touchdown run - he was nearly untouched as he dashed through the heart of the Giants' defense - was a fitting result for a lackluster effort by the Giants defensively.
Parker fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, but the Giants' defense rose up with a goal-line stand. Atlanta settled for a 20-yard field goal by Matt Bryant.
On their next possession, the Giants appeared to be driving for a go-ahead score, but Manning was sacked by the former Giant Osi Umenyiora, and the drive stalled. The Giants tied the game, though, at 10-10 on a 49-yard field goal by Brown late in the second quarter.
Still, the Giants' defense continued to have trouble stopping Ryan, who was under little pressure in the pocket. The Falcons' receiving corps found open gaps in the Giants' zone defense, and the team once again advanced into Giants territory.
Yet the Giants' defense, playing without the starting cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who left the game with a right leg injury, stiffened at the 2-yard line, forcing Bryant to kick his second 20-yard field goal with three seconds left in the first half. The teams head to the locker rooms with Atlanta leading, 13-10.
Post a Comment for "Beckham, in Debut, and Williams Help Giants Top Falcons"