The Giants are going to be sending 30-year old QB Eli Manning and 22-year old DE Jason Pierre-Paul to the Pro Bowl.  Manning has played in 15 games for the Giants so far this year and he has completed 335 of 556 passes (60.3%) for 4,587 yards with 26 TD passes and 16 INTs (90.3 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 29 times for 1 yard (0.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  This has been Manning’s best year of his NFL career, by far, in my mind.  Jason Pierre-Paul has been a beast in his second season in the NFL.  He has played in 15 games for the Giants so far this year and he has 81 tackles, 15.5 sacks, 8 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles and 6 passes defensed.

The Giants laid a whipping on the New York Jets last Saturday.  The Giants let their playing do the talking in this game.  Eli Manning only completed 9 of 27 passes in this game but he still threw for 225 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Ahmad Bradshaw led the way on the ground for the Giants in this game with 54 yards rushing on 15 carries (3.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Brandon Jacobs (7 carries for 42 yards) and D.J. Ware (3 carries for 20 yards) also pitched in for the Giants in the running game.  WR Victor Cruz led the way in the passing game for the Giants with 3 grabs for 164 yards (54.7 avg) with a 99 yard TD grab!  The Giants finished up with 115 yards rushing on 26 carries (4.4 ypc) and they also completed 9 of 27 passes (33.3%) for 217 yards as they had the ball for only 23:54 in this game.

The defense was outstanding for the Giants in this game.  Safety Antrel Rolle (7 tackles), CB Corey Webster (7 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception) and DE Jason Pierre-Paul (5 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and 3 QB hits) led the way for the Giants in this game.  LB Jacquain Williams (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 fumble recovery), DT Chris Canty (3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 QB hit and a safety) and safety Kenny Phillips (an interception that he returned 31 yards) also had solid plays on D for the Giants.  The Jets finished up with 105 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.2 ypc) and they also completed 30 of 59 passes (50.8%) for 226 yards.  The Giants are 8-7 on the season and they will play a do or die game next weekend at home against the Cowboys.

The Giants and Jets both need this game if they want to make the playoffs in 2011.  The Giants have lost five of their last six games….and they have looked bad doing it.  The Jets got destroyed 45-19 by the Eagles last weekend in Philly.  But, they have won three of their last four games.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants are going to come out more balanced than usual in this game.  They are going to have to run the ball effectively with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw if they are going to win this game.  The Jets are giving up 112.9 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry, so the Giants should have success on the ground.  The Jets are likely going to be blitzing a lot in this game to try to force Eli Manning into making some mistakes with the ball.  With Jake Ballard and Mario Manningham likely out for this game, Manning will have to take on the Jets’ corners (Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie) with passes down the field to Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz.

When the Jets have the ball:  The Jets are going to come out feeding the ball to RB Shonn Greene against a Giants’ D that is allowing 127.6 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry so far this year.  The Giants have to slow down Greene, so that Mark Sanchez won’t be able to attack them down the field using play action.  Sanchez is really good at ball faking and driving the ball down the field.  But, you can’t pass the ball while you’re laying on your back, so look for the Giants to put a ton of pressure on Sanchez tomorrow.

PREDICTION:  JETS 21, GIANTS 20

The New York Giants picked an awful time to lay an egg today as the Redskins beat the tar out of them.  Eli Manning looked like his dad today as he completed 23 of 40 passes for 257 yards with 0 TD passes and 3 INTs.  Ahmad Bradshaw led the way on the ground for the Giants in this game with 58 yards rushing on 10 carries (5.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 3 passes for 21 yards (7.0 avg) in this game.  Brandon Jacobs pitched in with 33 yards rushing on 8 carries (4.1 ypc).  WRs Hakeem Nicks (5 rec, 73 yards), Mario Manningham (3 rec, 57 yards) and Victor Cruz (5 rec, 44 yards) led the way in the passing game today.  The Giants finished up with 91 yards rushing on 18 carries (5.1 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 40 passes (57.5%) for 233 yards as they had possession of the ball for 25:00.

The defense played pretty solid for the most part in this game.  DE Jason Pierre-Paul had another monster game with 16 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 3 QB hits.  LB Michael Boley also had a good game with 12 tackles and 1 QB hit.  Safety Kenny Phillips (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) and CB Corey Webster (interception) also pitched in on D for the Giants today.  The Redskins finished up with 123 yards rushing on 40 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 24 passes (62.5%) for 177 yards in this game.  The Giants are now 7-7 on the season after this HUGE loss.

The Giants broke a four game losing streak with a huge win over the Cowboys in Dallas last weekend.  They will need to keep focused this weekend as the Redskins come to visit.  In the first matchup with the Redskins this year, they got thumped 28-14 in Washington.  The Redskins have lost 8 of their last 9 games, but they played well in a loss against the Patriots last weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants have been bombing away on offense and I look for that to continue tomorrow.  The Giants’ O-Line needs to give Manning enough time to throw in this game as the Redskins love to blitz.  If Manning has time to throw the ball, he’s in line to have a huge game.  The Redskins’ secondary is banged up right now, so Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham and Jake Ballard are going to give them fits.  If the Redskins put extra DBs in the game to deal with Manning’s receivers, he will just turn around and hand the ball off to RB Brandon Jacobs, who is playing really well lately.

When the Redskins have the ball:  The Redskins are going to feed the ball to rookie RB Roy Helu (and he has been running well lately) against a Giants’ D that is allowing 127.9 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry so far this year.  The front seven is going to have to step up and slow down Helu tomorrow.  They are also going to have to get after Rex Grossman, because he still has a strong arm and can hit the long ones down the field.  WRs Santana Moss, Jabar Gaffney and Donte Stallworth are going to give the Giants’ secondary fits if Grossman has time to throw the ball.

PREDICTION:  GIANTS 30, REDSKINS 27

30-year old Eli Manning is playing the best football of his NFL career right now.  He has played in 13 games for the Giants so far this year and he has completed 303 of 489 passes (62%) for 4,105 yards with 25 TD passes and 12 INTs (95.5 QB Rating).  Manning has also carried the ball 28 times for 2 yards (0.1 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  His 4,105 passing yards is already a career high and he still has three games left to go.  Manning has overcome an utter lack of  a running game this year, making his performance even more impressive.  They need him to keep up the good work if they are going to win the NFC East this year.

The Giants scored 15 points in the last 5:41 of the game last night to take the lead on the Cowboys.  DE Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a field goal on the last play of the game to seal the win for the Giants.  Eli Manning was amazing as he completed 27 of 47 passes for 400 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 interception.  Brandon Jacobs was running like a man possessed with 101 yards rushing on 19 carries (5.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  WRs Hakeem Nicks (7 rec, 154 yards) and Victor Cruz (7 rec, 83 yards) led the way for the Giants in the passing game last night.  WR Mario Manningham (2 rec, 62 yards) and TE Jake Ballard (4 rec, 52 yards, TD) also made big catches for the Giants in this game.  The Giants finished up with 110 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 47 passes (57.4%) for 400 yards as they had possession of the ball for 34:19.

The Giants didn’t play good as a whole last night on D, but DE Jason Pierre-Paul was a beast.  Pierre-Paul led the way for the Giants on D with 8 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 2 QB hits, a safety and a blocked field goal on the last play of the game!  LB Jacquian Williams (7 tackles), LB Michael Boley (5 tackles) and DT Chris Canty (5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) also had solid games for the Giants.  Safety Deon Grant pitched in with a fumble recovery.  The Cowboys finished up with 139 yards rushing on 24 carries (5.8 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 31 passes (67.7%) for 305 yards.  The Giants are now 7-6 on the season.

This is a huge game for both teams!  This is the first of two meetings this year (the other one on January 1st in New Jersey).  The Giants have lost four games in a row, but three of those losses came to teams leading their division (49ers, Packers and Saints).  The Cowboys are 5-1 on the season, but they have not beaten a good football team since week #2 (over the Niners).  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants are likely to be pass heavy in this football game.  The O-Line is going to have to give Manning time to throw the ball, as the Cowboys already have 35 sacks so far this year.  If Manning has time to throw the ball, he’s going to likely light up the scoreboard.  WRs Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and TE Jake Ballard will give the Cowboys’ secondary a very hard time this Sunday.  The Giants will also run the ball, especially if the Cowboys try to play extra DBs.  Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw will make the Cowboys pay if they pay too much attention to the Giants passing game this Sunday Night.

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys are going to try to get RB DeMarco Murray going early in this game, so the Giants’ front seven is going to get their manhood challenged.  The Giants are giving up 127.0 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry, so they need to step up if they are going to stop Murray.  The Giants are going to be coming after Tony Romo all night long and he is prone to making big mistakes when pressured.  He also has not really stepped up in big games for the Cowboys.  That being said, he was four incredible weapons in the passing game with WRs Miles Austin, Laurent Robinson, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten.

PREDICTION:  GIANTS 30, COWBOYS 27

The Giants have signed 28-year old OT Tony Ugoh.  Ugoh last played in a regular season game in the NFL back in 2009 with the Colts.  He has played in 37 games (27 starts) in his first four years in the NFL.  If Ugoh can knock the rust off pretty quick, the Giants can use his help along their injury depleted offensive line.

22-year old DE Jason Pierre-Paul has turned into a beast this year for the Giants.  He has played in 12 games for the Giants so far this year and he has 53 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 7 tackles for a loss, 6 passes defensed and 1 forced fumble.  Pierre-Paul has now played in 28 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 83 tackles, 15 sacks, 9 tackles for a loss, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 12 passes defensed.  The scary thing for the rest of the NFC East and the NFL is that Pierre-Paul is just getting started!  He has a HUGE upside!