Starting TE Kevin Boss seems like the forgotten man of the Giants’ offense so far this year.  He has played in 7 games for the Giants so far this year and he has caught 12 passes for 200 yards (16.7 avg).  Boss has now played in 49 games in his career with the Giants over 4 seasons and he has caught 96 passes for 1,269 yards (13.2 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  Boss is likely the 5th option in the passing game for the Giants but he’s very dependable when they decide to go to him.

At first, running back Brandon Jacobs didn’t like the idea of being Ahmad Bradshaw’s caddy this year and he probably still doesn’t.  That doesn’t change the fact that Jacobs is really running the ball well for the Giants right now.  Jacobs has played in 7 games for the Giants so far this year and he has carried the ball 57 times for 282 yards (4.9 ypc) with 5 TD carries.  He has also caught 4 passes for 26 yards (6.5 avg) so far this year.  Jacobs’ power and Bradshaw’s speed are a great combination for the Giants who are averaging 145.4 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry.

The Giants have signed 26-year old S/KR/PR Will Blackmon.  Blackmon played in 3 games for the Packers last season and he returned 3 punts for 11 yards (3.7 avg), 10 kickoffs for 233 yards (23.3 avg) and he had 1 tackle.  Blackmon has now played in 28 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 41 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 2 forced fumbles.  Blackmon has also returned 47 punts for 515 yards (11.0 avg) with 3 TD returns and he has also returned 66 kickoffs for 1,393 yards (21.1 avg) so far in his NFL career.  Blackmon was signed to compete against or replace PR/KR Darius Reynaud on punt and kickoff returns.  Reynaud has played in all six games for the Giants so far this year and he has returned 21 kickoffs for 386 yards (18.4 avg) and 22 punts for 130 yards (5.9 avg) and that’s just not good enough.

The Giants built up a big lead before having to hold off a furious comeback by the Cowboys behind backup QB Jon Kitna.  Eli Manning completed 25 of 35 passes for 306 yards with 4 TD passes and 3 costly interceptions.  Ahmad Bradshaw was solid as usual with 24 carries for 126 yards (5.3 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 12 yards (6.0 avg).  Brandon Jacobs also was running hard last night as he finished up with 75 yards rushing on 12 carries (6.3 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Both Bradshaw & Jacobs each lost a fumble in this game.  Hakeem Nicks was unstoppable for the Giants last night as he finished up with 9 grabs for 108 yards (12.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs and he also had 2 tackles.  WRs Steve Smith (9 rec, 101 yards, TD) and Mario Manningham (3 rec, 40 yards, TD) also had good games for the Giants last night.  The Giants finished up with 200 yards rushing on 37 carries (5.4 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 35 passes for 297 yards last night as they had possession of the ball for 37:31.

The Giants played pretty good on defense until the 4th quarter when the Cowboys rallied.  The Giants also had a blip on special teams when Dez Bryant of the Cowboys returned a punt 93 yards for a TD.  Antrel Rolle (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed), Terrell Thomas (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and Deon Grant (3 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 interception) led the way for the Giants on D last night.  The Cowboys finished up with 41 yards rushing on 13 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 40 passes for 213 yards.  The Giants are now 5-2 on the year.

The Giants are extremely hot right now winning their last three games by a combined score of 79-33!  The Cowboys have outplayed a few teams this year but they are still only 1-4 on the year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Giants have the ball:  It’s no mystery what the Giants like to do.  They like to pound the ball with Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs and they like to throw the ball deep.  The Cowboys’ D better tighten up the chinstraps because the Giants play very physical ball on both sides of the field.  The Cowboys are giving up 100.8 yards rushing and 4.2 yards per carry so far this year so Bradshaw & Jacobs are going to get their yards.  The Giants will likely pay special attention to keeping DeMarcus Ware out of the backfield so that Eli Manning will have time to throw the ball.  Because if Ware gets to Manning bad things are likely to happen.  The Cowboys only have 2 interceptions so far this year so look for Manning to be aggressive down the field to Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham while saving the short stuff for Steve Smith.

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys would be smart to try to run the ball more than usual with Felix Jones & Marion Barber.  Because, if the Giants can just come after Tony Romo it could be a long night.  The Giants already have 21 sacks so far this season so they’re hard to block.  Romo makes mistakes when he’s rushed in the pocket.  Romo does have a nice set of WRs and TEs to throw to so the Giants need to get to him.

PREDICTION:  GIANTS 24, COWBOYS 21

28-year old DE Osi Umenyiora is playing like a man possessed this year.  He wasn’t a starter when the season started but he has been outstanding after getting his old job back due to a season ending injury to Mathias Kiwanuka.  Umenyiora has played in six games for the Giants so far this year and he has 16 tackles, 8 sacks, 1 pass defensed and 7 forced fumbles (all came on sacks).  He has now played in 94 games in his 7 years with the Giants and he has 276 tackles, 10 passes defensed, 56.5 sacks and 25 forced fumbles.  Every single one of his forced fumbles have come on sacks which shows you just how hard he’s hitting the opposing QB when he gets to them.

The Lions gave the Giants more of a fight then they thought they would today.  Eli Manning was effective in completing 20 of 30 passes for 177 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Ahmad Bradshaw led the way on the ground for the Giants in this game with 133 yards rushing on 19 carries (7.0 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 10 yards.  Brandon Jacobs pitched in with 9 carries for 35 yards (3.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs today.  Steve Smith (6 rec, 70 yards), Mario Manningham (4 rec, 51 yards, TD) and TE Travis Beckum (1 rec, 1 yard, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Giants today.  The Giants finished up with 167 yards rushing on 30 carries (5.6 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 30 passes for 167 yards.

LB Michael Boley (11 tackles) and Safety Deon Grant (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 fumble recovery) led the way for the Giants’ D today.  Antrel Rolle (INT) and Justin Tuck (FR) also pitched in with big plays in this game.  The Lions finished up with 64 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 49 passes for 302 yards.  The Giants are now 4-2 on the year.

The Giants have signed 32-year old kicker Shayne Graham.  Graham played in 16 games for the Bengals last season and he connected on 23 of 28 field goals (82.1%) and 28 of 29 extra points good for 97 points.  He has now played in 127 games in his NFL career and he has made 196 of 230 field goals (85.2%) and 276 of 279 extra points as he has 864 points in his NFL career.  Graham will likely handle the kicking chores for the Giants tomorrow against the Lions because Lawrence Tynes has a ankle problem.  Tynes has played in all 5 games for the Giants so far this year and he has made 5 of 8 field goals (62.5%) and he has made all 13 of his extra point attempts.  Tynes has 28 points on the year.  Graham might have a chance to replace Tynes for good if he does a good job tomorrow.

UPDATE:  (10/19/2010) – The Giants have released Shayne Graham.  He didn’t attempt any field goals but he hit all four of his extra point attempts.  This is the life of an NFL kicker that doesn’t win a starting job out of training camp.

The Giants have placed undrafted rookie WR Victor Cruz on the Injured Reserve List with a hamstring injury.  Cruz played in 3 games for the Giants this year but he didn’t catch any passes.  Cruz made a name for himself in the pre-season for the Giants as he caught 15 passes for 297 yards (19.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He’ll have to wait until training camp to prove himself all over again next year.

The Giants have looked dominating the last two weeks as they have won by a combined score of 51-13!  The Lions broke the seal last week as they beat the Rams 44-6!  Something has to give this weekend with both teams coming into the game hot.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants should be able to do whatever they want this weekend against a Lions’ D that is giving up 133.2 yards rushing (4.8 ypc) and 235.4 yards passing per game so far this year.  The Giants will likely try to be pretty balanced in this game with Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs beating up on the front seven.  The Giants should also be effective throwing the ball as long as Eli Manning has time to throw because the Lions have 14 sacks already this year.  If Manning has time he should be able to find Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and Steve Smith down the field.

When the Lions have the ball:  The Giants are going to send the house after Lions’ QB Shaun Hill as the Lions love to pass the ball.  They are averaging 250.0 yards passing per game this year as they have 4 different receivers with at least 24 grabs so far.  Calvin Johnson is a tad gimpy with a shoulder problem and he’s the only Lions’ receiver to consider doubling.  Jahvid Best has 495 total yards this year (241 rushing, 254 receiving) so the Giants will have to give him a lot of attention.

PREDICTION:  GIANTS 31, LIONS 17