The Atlanta Falcons prevailed at the end of their thrilling Week 1 primetime opener, whereas the New York Giants collapsed at the conclusion of theirs. After a tumultuous week, the G-Men will look to secure their first victory of the season against the Falcons' high-powered offensive attack and revamped defense Sunday afternoon at the Meadowlands.
Falcons vs. Giants 2015 live stream: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The Falcons will look to carry over their momentum from a thrilling Week 1 win, and the Giants will try to avoid beating themselves.
For seemingly the first time in years, the Giants have owned the battle of the back page in New York so far this season. The turmoil all started with 1:37 remaining in Sunday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys, when Eli Manning inexplicably opted to throw the ball away instead of take a sack or a knee with a three-point lead. His blunder afforded the Cowboys 40 extra seconds on the play clock, which allowed Tony Romo to engineer a game-winning touchdown drive as regulation was expiring.
Although the NFL admitted that the officials blew two calls near the end -- including not calling a hold against the Cowboys on the play where Manning threw the ball out of the end zone -- the damage was done. After the game, both Manning and head coach Tom Coughlin took blame for the error. Coughlin said he should’ve called a run play, and Manning admitted he should’ve let the clock continue to run.
But this screw-up extended beyond that singular play. Giants running back Rashad Jennings said Manning told him not to score when he got the ball earlier in the drive, which is just plain bizarre. There is no reason why the Giants would've wanted to keep Jennings out of the end zone, since a touchdown would've made it a two-possession game. Manning admitted he didn't know how many timeouts the Cowboys had, so maybe he forgot how many points the Giants had scored, too.
Jennings penned an op-ed in the New York Post Wednesday, and apologized for throwing Manning under the bus.
“As soon as I got word of the headlines, I called Eli, and before I could even begin to apologize, he basically expressed his understanding,” Jennings writes. “Being the humble guy that he is, he wanted us to put this fiasco behind us with no hard feelings so that we could focus on the Falcons. That is why I am taking this opportunity to more formalize my apology to Eli, the team and the fans.”
Game-awareness issues aside, the Giants will have a challenge in front of them when they attempt to stop Matt Ryan and the Falcons' aerial attack Sunday. The Philadelphia Eagles had no answer for Julio Jones Monday night -- the star wide receiver racked up 141 yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions.
Atlanta capitalized on two Sam Bradford interceptions, including one on Philadelphia's final drive of the game. Bradford threw a slant pass that bounced off receiver Jordan Matthews and right into the outstretched arms of safety Ricardo Allen. The Falcons' defense made a big play to seal the game, which is something that's alluded them for several years.
New head coach Dan Quinn has his work cut out for him if he wants to turn one of the worst defenses in the league around, but the Falcons certainly looked far more aggressive Monday night than they had in recent years. Atlanta held the high-octane Eagles offense to 3-of-12 on third-down attempts.
The Falcons’ swarming defense is one of their keys to victory Sunday. That is, unless the Giants beat themselves first.
How to Watch
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch, Pam Oliver
Online: NFL Game Pass
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