New York Giants 26 Cincinnati Bengals 23

TOOMER'S TOE CATCH IN OT SETS UP WIN

3+ months from now in January when the Giants have enough wins to get into the playoffs, we won't remember or care that they won by 3 in OT like today or 28 like last week vs the Rams in a blowout. A win is a win.

BUT...
Maybe this can serve as a wakeup call that you cannot mail it in. The Giants tried to mail it in again. If this team is the road warriors, they are the home hospitality. They lack the intensity and urgency at home. We saw it vs the Skins in W1 as the home opener. Trap game? Was the Viking game last year a trap game? Manning seems to be the leader of that unevenness. Rule #23 of Carl Banks. Where was the sense of urgency? None in the first half! We were lucky we did not lose in regulation.

Let's focus on some of the positives-
1) The Giants offense can be brilliant when it wants to be. If it plays in attack mode for 60 minutes we can be in the game against any team.
2) Amani Toomer's Toes should be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
3) Hixon is terrific and needs to start in front of Toomer. He willed a first down and had his man beat on overthrown ball behind the defense. He also made a very nice block for Smith when Smith scampered on the right sideline for a nifty first down.
4) Boss's hands are great. He was instrumental in this win and maybe Gilbride can use him more.
5) Ward was fantastic today, he moved as well as I have ever seen him.
6) Carney was there for the gmen and we needed every little bit.
7) Like we said before, the Giants are 3-0. They will get better too.

There was a reason why the gmen were the biggest favorites of Week 3. They are a good team. But the complacency was there and we knew back in camp that every team would be ready for us. The Bengals certainly were ready for us today. Putting a team into an 0-3 hole is tough, but the Bengals got some self-respect out of this loss. I wouldn't want to play them next week because they know they can play now and they are every bit as wounded at 0-3.

Negatives:
1) Manning burns two H2 timeouts because Gilbride has the wrong playcall and he cannot change the play at the line of scrimmage in time.
2) Where is Bradshaw?
3) WTF are you doing calling a pitchout (to Bradshaw) in the red zone? (See Rule 5.)
4) WTF are you doing calling Jacobs to run wide in the red zone on 1st and Goal from the ~3? (Wonder was apoplectic about that one as well, lol. USE Ward OR Bradshaw, either is far more competent on that playcall in close environs. NYG convert the TD on third down pass to Boss, but putrid setback nonetheless.)
5) Was Ross hurt?
6) See previous post for Meathead's ugly gameplan/playcalling, etc...