Dottino: Game Balls And Gassers From The Giants' Win Over The Niners
By Paul Dottino
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Don't try to make any sense out of it. There's no point.
The Giants (3-2) did not put their best foot forward, but they sit atop the NFC East after Eli Manning directed a dramatic last-second TD drive to produce a 30-27 home victory over the spirited San Francisco 49ers. It was the 27th regular-season game-winning drive of Manning's career.
Coach Tom Coughlin's team has won three straight, and it sent the 49ers to their fourth consecutive defeat. Yet it likely will be at least a couple of days before the Giants figure out the price they had to pay for this one. WRs Odell Beckham and Reuben Randle suffered hamstring injuries, MLB Jon Beason suffered a concussion, S Brandon Merriweather hurt his knee and OL Justin Pugh hurt his ankle. And the team went into the game without DEs Robert Ayers (hamstring) and George Selvie (calf) and OLB Devon Kennard (hamstring), among others.
PHOTOS: GIANTS STUN 49ERS TO MOVE INTO FIRST PLACE
Get the picture? They've got to tape, paper clip and glue their roster together going into Monday night's game at Philadelphia. But they won't return to practice until Thursday, so let's get to our review of Week 5:
GAME BALLS
Offense -- TE Larry Donnell/RB Shane Vereen:
What, you say? How come Manning doesn't get to share in the fun, especially since he fired the winning 12-yard TD pass to Donnell with 21 seconds to play? And he finished with a team-record 41 completions on a career-high 54 attempts for 441 yards and three scores! Yes, that's right. Manning gets left off because of the ill-advised way he forced a first-down throw to Beckham at the end of the first half. It allowed CB Trumaine Brock (who had great position) to pull down an interception in the back right corner of the end zone and keep the Giants -- who were at the SF 14 -- off the board.
Donnell? He extended high to make a fingertip grab to win it, despite outstanding coverage by NaVorro Bowman in the back of the end zone. He held on after taking a hard hit from SS Antoine Bethea on their way to the ground. And Vereen caught short passes for 11 and 16 yards on the final drive, and then had a third-and-10 conversion for 24 to the SF 20 with 40 seconds left.
Defense -- CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie:
DRC was his usual steady self, getting in on six tackles. He also forced a Colin Kaepernick fumble at the NY 13 (which the Niners recovered) with 1:16 left in the second quarter. His holding penalty late in the fourth proved inconsequential because the Niners already were at the Giants' 4. They scored the go-ahead TD two plays later.
Special Teams -- PK Josh Brown:
Brown hit from 22, 41 and 24 yards on his three field-goal attempts. He also reached the end zone on six of his seven kickoffs, with five touchbacks.
GASSERS
Offense -- WR Dwayne Harris:
Harris works hard and is as tough as anybody on the team. But he also had two drops in the first half, the second one on a third-and-4 slant from the Niners' 23 that forced the Giants to settle for a field goal and a 13-3 lead with 3:57 left. Given the injuries at the position, they will need more consistent play out of Harris, who has shown that he is a capable receiver who can make difficult grabs in traffic. The easy catches appear to give him some trouble.
Defense -- S Landon Collins:
Collins played well, with the exception of two significant plays in the fourth quarter. His hit on WR Torrey Smith over the middle was a tad early, drawing a 28-yard interference penalty that set up the Niners at the Giants' 15. They scored a TD four plays later to tie the game at 20. Down 23-20 with 1:54 left, Collins had a first-down end-zone pass intended for TE Garrett Celek go through his hands. It would have been a game-sealing interception.
Special Teams -- WR Geremy Davis: The rookie put the Giants in a first-quarter hole, getting flagged for an illegal block on a punt that left them starting from their own 19 in a 3-3 game.