After wallowing in defeats to NFC East rivals Philadelphia and Dallas, and barely beating the typically punchless Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns, nobody really expected the Giants to go into San Francisco and win against a team that had been very impressive heading into week six.
What the Giants were able to do on Sunday by not only beating the 49ers, but dismantling them piece by piece in a dominating 26-3 victory spoke volumes about where this Giants team REALLY IS this season.
The Giants defense which had been suspect all season long, had its best afternoon. They shut down Frank Gore, holding him to 36 yards rushing, and made Alex Smith look like ... well, Alex Smith. The Giants picked off Smith three times, and sacked him four times. Smith was never comfortable in the pocket as the highly touted Giants front seven was all over the Niners quarterback.
In total the Giants recorded six sacks, with Jason Pierre-Paul recording two of them.
While the Niners offense doesn't scare a lot of people on paper, they have been very efficient this season, and even outscored their last two opponents (the Jets and Bills) by a combined score of 79-3. Thus making Big Blue's efforts all that more impressive.
Offensively, the Giants did just enough. A touchdown to Victor Cruz, check. A touchdown by Ahmad Bradshaw, check. Another solid effort by quarterback Eli Manning, check. While the numbers weren't explosive, we know better.
While statistically they are third in the NFL in total offense, one just has to watch all of the Giants games this season to see how explosive they can be. No matter how many points this team has been down this year, Eli Manning has been able to bring them back. Manning has helped the likes of Victor Cruz, Ramses Barden, Hakeem Nicks and Dominek Hixon become household names, and in turn, one of the more lethal receiving corps in the league.
However, it was the Giants complete effort in San Francisco that is raising eyebrows. Up to that point the Giants had yet to play a complete game. They were not expected to win in San Francisco. Many thought the Niners would get some revenge for last January's NFC title game loss. However, the Giants were more than up to the task, and looked more prepared for action than San Fran.
A look ahead toward the schedule, while not easy is very doable for these G-Men. The Redskins and Cowboys are up next before a home game against the underwhelming Steelers and a trip to Cincinnati to play the Bengals.
In a league where just about every team is virtually mediocre, if the Giants add some wins here, they could easily swing themselves into the top of the NFC, and into the conversation for a top seed. The Giants are as good as any team in the NFC -- the conference is there for the taking. On Sunday in California, the Giants looked like World Champs. Now, they have to continue to play like one.
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