Big Blue Review: New York Giants @ Washington Redskins

Be honest: who saw this one coming? Even the most die-hard Giants fans would never have envisaged a demolition job on this level.

Despite less-than-favourable Las Vegas betting odds that had the 1-2 Giants as underdogs, the Giants themselves were more confident after beating the Houston Texans to earn their first win of the season.

As we saw in the 2007 and 2011 Super Bowl-winning seasons, once Tom Coughlin's Giants start playing with confidence and have momentum, they are a very difficult team to stop. Of course, Atlanta could end all the fun next weekend, but the importance of the Houston result cannot be understated.

They started where they left off, with Eli Manning once again leading the charge. Last season Eli was running for his life behind a poor offensive line every game, had no running game to ease the load, and was hindered by a corps of unspectacular receivers who he was subsequently unable to develop a rapport with.

Flash forward to last night and Eli is being protected by a solid offensive line who - after a tumultuous preseason and a ghastly week one outing against the Detroit Lions - have gelled nicely in the past three games. As a result, he is enjoying time in the pocket, and time to make smarter decisions. Being a Manning, it should come as no surprise that, when given time, Eli is capable of picking defences apart. Like his brother Peyton, Eli flourishes when given the flexibility to call the shots and make audibles, and Ben McAdoo's offense is structured around no-huddle play and short, high-percentage, passes.

Eli Manning finished the game going 28-of-39 for 300 yards, four passing touchdowns, and his first rushing touchdown since 2011. He had a passer rating of 117.5.

The newfound unity along the offensive line is reflective of the Giants offense as a whole. Slowly but surely the unit has gelled into a formidable one, and over the last two games the Giants have outscored their opponents 76-31.

Against Washington, as was the case in the Houston game, the Giants' wide receivers held up their end of the bargain - both Victor Cruz and Reuben Randle accumulated 108 and 89 yards receiving, respectively.
They finished the game without a single touchdown, however, because they all went to the tight ends, with Larry Donnell the main beneficiary.

Donnell, undrafted out of Grambling State in 2012, has been a revelation this season and of his first five catches, three went for touchdowns of five, six and six yards. Donnell was the first Giants tight end since Joe Walton in 1962 to score three passing touchdowns in a single - remarkable considering that Big Blue has seen players like Mark Bavaro and Jeremy Shockey pass through their doors.
He causes match-up problems for opposing defences due to his considerable height, and Tom Coughlin and Ben McAdoo know this.

"When he (Manning) gets in trouble...he knows he can throw it up there and it's my job to go up and get it. And he feels comfortable doing it."

Daniel Fells chipped in with a touchdown of his own, but Donnell is unquestionably the Giants' tight end for the foreseeable future.

The defence proved emphatically that last week's performance was no mere fluke, with Antrel Rolle, Prince Amukamara, Quentin Demps and Trumaine McBride all picking off Kirk Cousins. Giants defensive backs had studied Cousins extensively during the week and had noticed that the inexperienced signal-caller was staring down his receivers. Jason Pierre-Paul was able to identify, and then call out, the intended receivers from the line of scrimmage. The only negative was seen when Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie left the field temporarily with an injury, and the Redskins began to see some success on offense. The Giants' secondary could come undone should he miss further time later in the season.

The Washington Redskins, and surprisingly hapless quarterback Kirk Cousins, have seemingly awoken a sleeping Giant. The Giants kept the ball rolling with another mistake-free, turnover-forcing performance, and dominated a team the Philadelphia Eagles could only scrape past last weekend. The Giants have a much-needed divisional win, and a lot of momentum heading into a major clash with the Atlanta Falcons in ten days' time.

NFL Tuesday Morning Football - Top Performers from Week Three

Another week of NFL action is in the books, and thankfully we didn't see a repeat of the injury epidemic that plagued last week's games. The Baltimore Ravens lost Dennis Pitta for the season however, and the Pittsburgh Steelers saw cornerback Ike Taylor leave the game with a gruesome-looking broken forearm.

So ignoring the ongoing fracas caused by Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy, Jonathan Dwyer et. al, week three was a phenomenal showcase for the unpredictability of the NFL. Arizona put the NFC on watch with a victory over the San Francisco 49ers, the surprisingly winless New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts finally got their first wins, Pittsburgh demolished the Carolina Panthers and Seattle held off the Denver Broncos with a overtime win courtesy of - who else? - Marshawn Lynch.

Oh, and three quarterbacks - Andy Dalton, Russell Wilson and Johnny Manziel - all caught passes from wide receivers. Of all the things you could accuse the NFL of being, 'predictable' isn't one.

Kirk Cousins

The talk of the 'RG3 Era' in Washington D.C. being over is probably premature, but after head coach Jay Gruden said he felt that Cousins was a better fit for his scheme in the wake of Griffin's injury, many people began speculating whether we'd ever see the former Baylor quarterback in a Redskins uniform ever again.
Gruden may have had a point, as Cousins delivered a performance worthy of a starting job on Sunday. He went 30 of 48 for 427 yards, and threw three touchdowns and one interception against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Rashad Jennings

The Giants' much-maligned offense exploded into life against the previously unbeaten Houston Texans, with Eli Manning delivering a mistake-free performance and throwing two touchdowns. It was running back Rashad Jennings who stole the show, with a 38 carry, 176 yard, one touchdown performance. It was a career game, and Jennings poignantly dedicated it to his father:

“Today I was just reminded that my father has diabetes and he ended up getting both of his legs amputated. He doesn't have legs. Today, I remembered that I do have them.”

Le'Veon Bell

Another masterful running performance came courtesy of the Steelers' Le'Veon Bell. The Carolina Panthers' defense was one of the league's most formidable units a year ago, and - despite the absence of defensive end Greg Hardy - is still one of the NFL's best. Despite his unquestionable talent, it was therefore surprising to see Bell rack up a monstrous 147 yards rushing against the Panthers.

Kyle Fuller

The Chicago Bears' secondary is a unit that has already been decimated by injury. Charles Tillman is lost for the year, and a who's-who of defensive backs have picked up injuries in recent weeks. This less-than-desirable situation has given other players the opportunity to step up, and 2014 first round draft pick Kyle Fuller has done just that. Fuller bagged two interceptions against the San Francisco 49ers in week two and added a third - at a crucial moment in the game - against the New York Jets this week. He also added two forced fumbles and so far has an allowed passer rating of 43.6. With Tillman's career in doubt, the Bears may have struck gold with this playmaking rookie cornerback.