Vinnie Iyer breaks down the ongoing action of the Giants-Buccaneers first-round NFC playoff game:
(Refresh page for the latest updates)
Hello, Dallas (1:53 left): So the Giants will get that third chance against the division rival Cowboys. R.W. McQuarters records the second interception against Jeff Garcia, and that’s three takeaways for New York, while Eli Manning and his teammates didn’t cough up the ball once. If they play like this and the Cowboys must go without T.O., the Giants have a good chance to upset the top seed and NFC East champions. Again, it comes down to Eli, and he was hotter than the Tampa weather today. Considering the situation, it’s the best win of his young career. The Cowboys better be ready for a very confident and familiar opponent.
Not-so quick strike (3:25 left): With Joey Galloway forced to the sidelines, the Bucs lost their one chance to get a quick touchdown. So Jeff Garcia manages to lead a methodical TD drive by dinking and dunking to Ike Hilliard, Michael Clayton and his backs and his tight ends, but it takes good time to do it in a what was a three-possession game. The Bucs aren’t built to come back from such a deficit. New York 24, Tampa Bay 14.
Giant clock killers (8:03 left): I was wrong about the little guy. Ahmad Bradshaw comes up big as a tough inside runner, setting up Eli Manning for some easy completions working his way down the field, including a nice little four-yard TD strike to Amani Toomer. That’s the ideal drive: seven more points, and nearly seven more minutes off the clock. New York 24, Tampa Bay 7.
Bradshaw’s back (14:20 left): OK, I guess the Giants are sticking with their smaller, shiftier youngster in the backfield, at least for now. That tells me they’re interested in being aggressive and passing more to really put this game away. They also are pretty confident with their offensive line that they can run effectively with anyone. At this point, Bradshaw’s quickness can also work well against a tired Bucs’ defense in the heat.↵
LiveBlog: Giants-Bucs, fourth quarter
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
See More:
