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Gutty win puts Giants in far better situation

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09/25/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After their defense was able to get its act together right at the time it was needed most, a New York Giants' season that was teetering on the edge of disaster has quickly been given a whole new outlook.

While Sunday's much-needed 24-17 comeback victory over the division-rival Washington Redskins was very much an all-out team effort, it certainly couldn't have been possible had the New York defense continued to play at the level it displayed over the first two weeks.

After surrendering league-worst totals of 80 points and 621 passing yards in season-opening losses to Dallas and Green Bay, the Giants' stop unit went from dormant to dominant during the second half of the Washington game to help New York overcome a 14-point deficit at intermission.

The Giants forced the Redskins to go three-and-out on each of their first three possessions following the break, then recovered quarterback Jason Campbell's fumble on the second play of the fourth to set up a go-ahead touchdown. Washington mustered a mere 81 total yards and zero points after halftime, and didn't get a second-half first down until there were under five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The defense saved the best for last. The Redskins moved to the New York one with less than a minute to play, but the Giants denied a potential game-tying touchdown by making three consecutive goal-line stops.

So what's the explanation for this dramatic turnaround?

"We just played hard and played fast for 60 minutes," said linebacker Antonio Pierce. "That's how simple (playing) defense is."

Actually, there's a little more to it to that. But credit new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo for making adjustments to his blitz-oriented, press-coverage scheme. Utilizing more zone techniques than the previous two weeks, the Giants were effectively able to keep Washington's big-play weapons -- namely receivers Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El -- from making much of an impact.

"They tried to take away our deep passing game, and early on in the game they did an outstanding job of doing that," said Campbell. "They were trying to play their (Cover) two shell and tried to make us keep everything underneath."

While some may have already had the Giants dead and buried prior to Sunday, now that 1-2 start suddenly doesn't seem so bad, especially considering that those two losses have come to the only teams still unbeaten in the NFC. Factor in Dallas and Green Bay's weekend wins over Chicago and San Diego, last year's No. 1 playoff seeds in their respective conferences, and one can make a stronger case that New York's early hole was more a product of a quality opposition than its own deficiencies.

OFFENSE DOES ITS PART, TOO

After being shut down for much of the first half, the Giants offense also produced vastly different results in the second. Trailing 17-3 at intermission, New York put together two long touchdown drives to draw even, and later took advantage of Campbell's key fumble to move ahead in the fourth quarter.

The offense put the comeback in motion with a 10-play, 61-yard march to begin the third quarter, with Reuben Droughns capping the crucial drive with a one- yard touchdown run to cut the lead to seven points.

"We knew the importance of that first drive," Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said. "It was important for us to get something in terms of momentum right away."

Quarterback Eli Manning, who committed two costly turnovers in the first half that the Redskins turned into 10 points, atoned for those miscues by converting three third-and-long situations on the series with completed passes.

Plaxico Burress also redeemed himself after a catchless opening 30 minutes, as the star wide receiver took a short pass from Manning and weaved his way through the Washington secondary for a 33-yard touchdown which put New York ahead 24-17 with 5:32 left to play. The score was Burress' fifth in three games this season.

FORGOTTEN MAN

After being used sparingly in New York's first two games, Droughns made a large contribution to Sunday's win with a pair of one-yard touchdown runs in the second half. The veteran running back, who compiled consecutive seasons of over 1,200 rushing yards with Denver and Cleveland in 2004 and 2005, had just one five-yard carry prior to the contest.

It was Droughns' second career multi-touchdown game and first since a three- score outing at Tennessee while with the Broncos on December 25, 2004.

Derrick Ward did continue to receive the bulk of the backfield work for the Giants, with primary rusher Brandon Jacobs still sidelined with a knee sprain. The fourth-year pro established new personal highs for rushing yards and carries for a third straight week, finishing with 94 yards on 26 attempts.

DELAYED IMPACT

Second-year linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka keyed New York's much-improved defensive showing on Sunday with the most impressive all-around game of his brief career. The converted defensive end recorded a team-high eight tackles (7 solo) and a pair of sacks of Campbell, one of which forced a fumble that the Redskins recovered. Kiwanuka had made just seven tackles over the first two games and appeared to struggle with the position switch early on in the season.

SUNDAY NIGHT SHOWDOWN

The Giants will have an opportunity to avenge last year's playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles when the two NFC East foes square off at the Meadowlands in a nationally-televised skirmish this Sunday. Philadelphia ended the Giants' 2006 campaign with a narrow 23-20 victory in the Wild Card round last January, and has defeated New York in three of its last four visits to the Meadowlands, including a 36-22 triumph last season.

Both teams are currently residing at the bottom of the division standings with identical 1-2 records, but each is fresh off an important win on Sunday. The Eagles broke out of an early offensive slump in a big way against Detroit, scoring touchdowns on its first five possessions en route to a 56-21 rout of the Lions.

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