Giants Take Care Of Business Against Pesky Redskins

GIANTS 23
REDSKINS 17

It wasn't pretty, but, for the second straight opener, the Giants held off the Redskins to kick off their season on the right foot. In so doing, the Giants answered some huge questions about their receiving corps.

Early in this game the Giants showed the world that their passing attack is indeed fine, as Eli Manning shook off the pre-season rust with his receiving corps to complete 69 percent of his passes (20 for 29) for 256 yards and a touchdown.

On the Giants opening drive, Manning and Company put away any doubt that this group lacked continuity when he completed a 25 yard bomb to Mario Manningham to move the Giants to the Redskins 36 yard line. Manning hit Kevin Boss for 11 more to move the ball to the 20, and Brandon Jacobs for eight more to get the ball to the 12. The Giants had to settle for a field goal, but the drive set a precedent for the rest of the evening.

In the second quarter with the ball on the Skins 30 yard line, Manning hit Manningham again, this time from 30 yards out for the touchdown to give Big Blue a 10-0 lead.

Defensively the Giants welcomed back Antonio Pierce, Kenny Phillips and Chris Canty to the lineup after the trio missed most of August training camp with nagging injuries. The Giants D was solid all evening, holding Washington to 272 yards of offense and shutting down running back Clinton Portis, by holding him to an unadorned 62 rushing yards. The Giants even sacked quarterback Jason Campbell twice, as the bumbling Redskins QB continued to stumble for Washington.

Another standout for the Giants receivers was Steve Smith. Smith has been much maligned for his inability to make crucial catches at key junctures of ball games, but, today, Smith looked great. He hauled in six passes for 80 yards and was a key cog on many of New York's scoring drives. Box Score.

It appears that Big Blue is on its way to straightening out their offenseive problems, and with missing defensive pieces returning from injury, the Giants have an opportunity to regain their status as the NFC's best team.