The New York Giants came away with their third straight victory in as many weeks as they beat the Atlanta Falcons 30-20.
Eli Manning and the offense would get an early lead, but Atlanta mounted a comeback and the Giants would struggle until the third quarter. Following a 74 yard touchdown by Antone Smith, the Giants scored 20 unanswered points, ultimately giving the G-Men the 30-20 win. The long touchdown could’ve been avoided, but poor tackling by safety Antrel Rolle and poor discipline by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie helped spring Smith for the score.
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Manning finished the day 19/20 with 200 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Odell Beckham Jr. and Andre Williams both helped the Giants’ offense, as the two rookies proved their worth against Atlanta. Beckham, who was playing in his first game as a pro, had four receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown, while Andre Williams had 65 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown of his own. Starting running back Rashad Jennings would leave the game in the second half due to a sprained knee.
After an excruciatingly long wait, Beckham finally debuted and he did not disappoint. His explosiveness helped the offense, and it seems like he has somewhat of a rhythm with Eli Manning, as Beckham caught four of his five targets. Beckham looked very comfortable in his first game, and the Giants now boast a dangerous trio of pass catchers.
Rueben Randle would also haul in a touchdown from Eli Manning. The Giants played a smooth, crisp game on offense, even if they didn’t play great for the entire game, and they did not make any big mistakes.
Second year defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins sacked Matt Ryan in the fourth quarter to shut the door on any potential Atlanta comeback. Hankins’ sack came on a fourth and one when Falcons head coach Mike Smith decided to go for it inside their own 30.
Quintin Demps recorded an interception, although he would end up fumbling the ball back to Atlanta.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, their road woes continue as the team drops to 2-3. Despite Matt Ryan’s 316 passing yards, the team was unable to beat the Giants. Atlanta has failed to record a single road win in 2014. The Falcons needs to figure out what they need to do to win on the road, especially with both the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints winning on Sunday.
Julio Jones would finish the game with 11 receptions for 105 yards.
For New York, they improve to 3-2 with a big divisional game against the Philadelphia Eagles on the horizon. The Giants have looked better in the last three weeks than they did all of last year, and the addition of Beckham only makes the offense more deadly. What seemed like a fluke victory over the Houston Texans has turned into a three game win streak for New York, and they’ll look to add to that next week in Philadelphia.