With a 30-20 win over the Atlanta Falcons, the New York Giants advanced to 3-2 and a +.500 record for the first time since the end of the 2012 season - officially making all that talk of Eli being benched and Coughlin being fired a thing of the past.
The Falcons' visit to Metlife Stadium really was a game of two halves. The first half saw the Atlanta Falcons' first-ranked offense move the ball with relative ease. The Falcons' were suffering from a depleted offensive line void of key starters in Joe Hawley, Lamar Holmes, Justin Blalock and Sam Baker, but the makeshift unit still managed to frustrate the Giants' defensive line - a performance that was underscored by a clinical ten-yard touchdown run by Steven Jackson in the first quarter. Julio Jones bested Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for eight catches and 88 yards, and Matt Ryan finished the first half going 17-of-27 for 166 yards, without being sacked once.
Giants' fans would have been concerned by the re-emergence of the self-defeating New York Giants in the first half. In a bizarre sequence of events, Quentin Demps picked off Matt Ryan on third down before fumbling the ball on the return, and a Prince Amukamara penalty gave the Falcons great field position and a first down. The defence forced a punt before a roughing the punter penalty on Jason Pierre-Paul gave the Falcons yet another first down. The defence were competitively quiet in the first half, but still managed to hold the Falcons to just one touchdown.
The Giants' emerged after half time trailing 13-10, and did so a team transformed. The Giants' class of 2014 made a huge impact, with 2014 Heisman Trophy finalist, and fourth round draft pick, Andre Williams rushing for a touchdown after Rashad Jennings went down injured. Williams ran hard all afternoon, and ran over Falcons defenders on many of his carries. Odell Beckham, Jr. finally made his Giants' debut after a preseason of injury and almost no practices. He was moved all over the offense, and early in the second half showed exactly how dangerous he can be when he got open with ease on consecutive plays. Only an overthrown pass by Eli Manning - who was otherwise consistently calm and composed - and a defensive penalty prevented them from being touchdowns. Beckham Jr. finally found the endzone in the fourth quarter with a 15 yard pass from Manning.
The defence raised their game as well, with the Falcons' offensive line finally overwhelmed by their defensive counterparts. Jason Pierre-Paul was phenomenally disruptive - repeatedly hurrying Ryan and causing penalties. Robert Ayers and Jonathan Hankins continued their good form, with the latter effectively sealing the win with a sack on fourth down late in the game. As a unit they hit Matt Ryan eight times. The Giants' were exposed at linebacker, however, with the group seemingly unable to cope with screens or short routes by running backs out of the backfield - a deficiency disguised by the dominance of the line and secondary.
The Falcons may have also been 2-2, but this win legitimises the Giants. It proves that their offence works against a tough defence, it proves they can win in the fourth quarter (they trailed 21-10 with 21 minutes left), and it proves that the defence can keep up with the best in the league. It also validates - for now - the selection of Odell Beckham Jr. in the first round. Even though their opponents have a combined twelve wins (at the time of writing) compared to the Cowboys (nine wins) and Eagles (seven wins), the Giants are still being viewed as the runts of the litter in the NFC East. This win should have changed that perception for the time being.
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