The Giants really played well on offense when they had the ball which wasn’t too often as the Jaguars were hogging the ball in this game.  Eli Manning was very efficient in completing 14 of 24 passes for 226 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Brandon Jacobs (14 carries, 87 yards) and Ahmad Bradshaw (9 carries for 49 yards and 4 receptions for 34 yards) led the way on the ground for the Giants in this game.  TE Kevin Boss (3 rec, 74 yards, TD) and WR Mario Manningham (3 rec, 61 yards, TD) both stepped up in leading the Giants in the passing game.  The Giants finished up with 135 yards rushing on 26 carries (5.2 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 24 passes for 226 yards.

Safety Deon Grant (10 tackles) and LB Michael Boley (8 tackles) were busy yesterday.  But, it was rookie DE Jason Pierre-Paul (8 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 QB hit) and safety Antrel Rolle (7 tackles, 1/2 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 QB hits and 1 fumble recovery) made some huge plays in this game for the Giants.  CB Terrell Thomas pitched in with a interception in this game.  The Jaguars finished up with 207 yards rushing on 34 carries (6.1 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 35 passes for 121 yards.  The Giants are now 7-4 on the year.

The Giants have looked lost the last couple of weeks in losing to the Cowboys and the Eagles.  The Jaguars are going in the other direction as they have won 3 games in a row and they have also won both of their road games this year east of the Mississippi River.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Giants have the ball:  I have a feeling the Giants are going to ride Brandon Jacobs hard in this game against a Jags’ D that is allowing 112.2 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  Ahmad Bradshaw will spot Jacobs once in a while as a change of pace back for the Giants.  The Jaguars are allowing 264.6 yards passing per game and opposing QBs have a 103.9 Rating against them this year.  So there are plays to be made in the passing game if Eli Manning has time to throw the ball and someone can catch the ball.  Mario Manningham and Kevin Boss are the only legit healthy guys the Giants have to throw the ball to.  With that in mind I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Jags giving them both extra attention.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Giants must go all out to stop Maurice Jones-Drew as both a runner and a receiver as he is the best player the Jags have on offense.  The Giants will try to pressure David Garrard into making some mistakes as they already have 27 sacks this year.  The Giants must contain Garrard in the pocket because he’s good at making plays with his legs. 

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 23, GIANTS 20

The Giants have claimed 24-year old WR Devin Thomas off waivers from the Panthers.  Thomas played in 1 game for the Panthers but he didn’t catch any passes.  Thomas has played in 31 games in his 3 years in the NFL and he has caught 40 passes for 445 yards (11.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 6 times for 51 yards (8.5 ypc) in his career.  Thomas can also help out the Giants on special teams if they need him to.  Thomas has returned 35 kickoffs for 838 yards (23.9 avg) in his career.  The Giants are desperate at WR with the injuries to Hakeem Nicks & Steve Smith so Thomas is going to get a chance to show what he can do.

The Giants have placed 29-year old fullback Madison Hedgecock on the Injured Reserve List ending his season due to a hamstring injury.  Hedgecock played in 4 games for the Giants this season and he caught 4 passes for 8 yards (2.0 avg).  He has now played in 51 games in four years with the Giants and he has carried the ball 1 time for 0 yards.  He has also caught 20 passes for 128 yards (6.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs for the Giants.  The Giants won’t miss Hedgecock too much as Bear Pascoe is doing a solid job in his place.

Head coach Tom Coughlin has decided to replace Ahmad Bradshaw as the starting RB with Brandon Jacobs.  Bradshaw has lost his starting job because of his five lost fumbles.  When he holds onto the football he has been quite effective.  Bradshaw has played in 10 games for the Giants so far this year and he has carried the ball 185 times for 867 yards (4.7 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He has also caught 28 passes for 197 yards (7.0 avg).  Brandon Jacobs has been chomping at the bit waiting for an opportunity like this one and I look for him to respond in a big way.  Jacobs has played in 10 games for the Giants this year and he has carried the ball 78 times for 387 yards (5.0 ypc) with 5 TD carries.  He has also caught 7 passes for 59 yards (8.4 avg) so far this season.  Jacobs is going to be fresh right now which will be a big problem for the defenses playing the Giants.

The Giants have signed 28-year old WR Michael Clayton.  Clayton played in 13 games for the Buccaneers last season and he caught 16 passes for 230 yards (14.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 84 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has caught 221 passes for 2,936 yards (13.3 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  Clayton hasn’t been good since his rookie season, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

The Giants will be without 22-year old WR Hakeem Nicks for the next three weeks due to something called compartment syndrome in his lower right leg.  This is a huge blow to the Giants who already are without Steve Smith due to a pectoral injury.  Nicks has played in 10 games for the Giants so far this year and he has caught 62 passes for 800 yards (12.9 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  Nicks has went over 100 yards receiving 4 times this season for the Giants and he has caught multiple TDs in 3 games so the Giants are going to miss him big time!   He has now played in 24 games in his first two years with the Giants and he has 109 catches for 1,590 yards (14.6 avg) with 15 TD grabs.

The Giants took a 17-16 lead with only 13;35 left in this game but then the roof caved in.  Eli Manning had a game to forget as he often looked like a deer in headlights.  Manning completed 20 of 33 passes for 147 yards with 2 TD passes and 3 INTs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 22 yards (11.0 ypc) but he also lost a key fumble in the 4th quarter that hurt any chance of a Giants’ comeback.  Ahmad Bradshaw carried the ball 12 times for 29 yards (2.4 ypc) and he lost his fifth fumble of the season.  Brandon Jacobs didn’t get much going on the ground either with 10 yards rushing on 5 carries (2.0 ypc).  WR Hakeem Nicks (6 rec, 65 yards), WR Derek Hagan (3 rec, 10  yards, TD) and TE Travis Beckum (1 rec, 2 yards, TD) led the way through the air for the Giants last week.  The Giants finished up with 61 yards rushing on 19 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 33 passes for 147 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 25:56.

CB Terrell Thomas (10 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 passes defensed) and DE Justin Tuck (7 tackles, 3 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit) led a inspired effort by the D until the 4th quarter.  The Eagles finished up with 148 yards rushing on 26 carries (5.7 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 38 passes for 244 yards.  The Giants are now 6-4 on the season.

The Giants and Eagles are tied for the lead in the NFC East so this is a HUGE football game!  The Giants are 3-1 on the road this year where they have outscored the opponents 130-90.  The Eagles are only 2-2 at home this year where they have outscored the opposition 89-85.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants are going to come out balanced on Sunday Night offensively.  They are going to try to slug the Eagles in the mouth with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw against a Eagles’ D that is allowing 104.0 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry.  The Eagles and 26 sacks and 16 interceptions so far this year so Eli Manning is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly while still being careful as the same time. 

When the Eagles have the ball:  The Giants are going to go all out to keep Michael Vick in the pocket.  The Giants have 25 sacks this year but they will have to keep him contained in the pocket with the pass rush.  If the Giants get good pressure on Michael Vick he’s going to make mistakes.  The Giants are going to have to deal with Lesean McCoy both running and catching the ball out of the backfield.  The Giants are only allowing 83.3 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry so they should be up to the challenge.  The corners are going to have to step up and have big games against Jeremy Maclin and Desean Jackson this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  GIANTS 30, EAGLES 23

The Giants started this year 1-2 before 64-year old head coach Tom Coughlin riled up his troops ripping off 5 wins in a row before losing to the Cowboys last weekend.  The Giants are averaging 409.8 yards on offense this year and they are only giving up 270.2 yards per game.  That explains how Coughlin has rallied his troops.  The Giants are now 61-44 (58.1%) during the regular season in 7 years with Tom Coughlin calling the shots.