New York Giants Get First Win, Beat Houston Texans 30-17

For the first time in 2014, the New York Giants were able to notch a victory, as they beat the Houston Texans 30-17. The victory for the Giants marks their first September win since week 3 of 2012, per NFL.com.

After two weeks of what some categorize as growing pains, the offense looked dazzling against Houston. The run game was finally a positive factor, as Rashad Jennings finished the game with a career high 176 yards on 16 carries. Jennings also added a touchdown.

Jennings got off to a good start early on and he never looked back. It seemed like he was gashing the Texans defense every time he touched the ball. Jennings seldom went down on the first hit, and he was exactly the type of physical player the Giants want him to be.

Jennings’ success was able to set up the offense for play action passes, and it was a main reason for the Giants victory.

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Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Houston offense look rattled all game, and it led to their demise. Fitzpatrick had less than desirable passing statistics, but he was surprisingly impressive on the ground. Fitzpatrick finished the game with 289 yards passing, 34 yards rushing, one touchdown, three interceptions and a rushing touchdown, according to NFL.com

Fitzpatrick was picked off by Prince Amukamara, Antrel Rolle and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Rolle is very vocal in his ‘see ball, get ball’ philosophy, and this secondary did both on Sunday.

The absence of Arian Foster hurt the Texans immensely, as Foster’s backup Alfred Blue only amassed 78 yards. Blue started the game with a few good runs, but he struggled once the Giants made some defensive adjustments. Even without starting inside linebacker Jon Beason in the lineup, the Giants suffocated the Texans offense.

The Giants held Andre Johnson in check. DeAndre Hopkins finished the game with 109 receiving yards, although most of those came late in the fourth quarter. During the first half Hopkins made an unbelievable one-handed catch. Unfortunately for Hopkins, the memorable play got wiped out by a penalty. The Texans only converted once on third down.

The run game was not the only aspect where the Giants had success, as Eli Manning looked better than he has in two years. Manning really never put the ball in harms way, and he had some extraordinary throws throughout the game. New York Giants’ quarterbacks coach Danny Langsdorf told ESPN.com that the goal for the season was for Manning to complete 70% of his passes, and that goal was achieved on Sunday. Manning threw for 234 yards, two touchdowns and completed 21 of his 28 pass attempts, which is 75%.

The offensive unit established the run early on and got Eli in a rhythm from the beginning of the game, as he found Rueben Randle three times on the opening drive.

The only miscues on offense was when Larry Donnell fumbled in the red zone in the first quarter, and when an errant Zak DeOssie snap went through the hands of Steve Weatherford. Other than a few penalties, the Giants played a mistake free game, which is a breath of fresh air after two weeks of mediocrity.

The Giants made up for the botched snap when Damontre Moore blocked a punt, his second in as many years, per NFL.com. Donnell also made up for his mistake by having another good outing, as he caught 6 passes.

Perhaps even more impressive than the lack of mistakes was just how well the Giants contained J.J. Watt. The incredible defensive end only had one sack, and was held in check for most of the game. With Watt a non factor, Manning had time to go through his progressions and deliver the ball to the best option. Furthermore, Eli was only sacked one time, as the offensive line had its best game of the season so far.

Victor Cruz responded to his doubters on Sunday by catching 5 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. Cruz’s touchdown was his first since week 4 of last year, according to NFL.com.

With the loss, the Texans are still in first place of the AFC South, as they remain a game ahead of both the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans. Houston needs to avoid another meltdown if they want to be considered legitimate contenders. Last year the Texans started 2-0 but lost their last 14. The Texans play the Bills next week.

For the Giants, the win gives them new life in a rather competitive NFC East. New York is on a short week, with a Thursday night game against Washington on the horizon. We’ve seen this situation happen before with the Giants, most notably in 2007 when the team started 0-2 but won the Super Bowl. Super Bowl talk is obviously premature, but if the Giants’ offense can continue to play the way they did against Houston, they should be able to find success.

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