In Week 2 of NFL football action, Eli Manning put in a near-record performance to help the Super Bowl champion New York Giants avoid a second straight loss. Manning threw 51 passes and completed 31 for 510 yards and three touchdowns and capped the second greatest passing day by a Giants’ quarterback by setting up Andre Brown’s game-winning 2-yard run with a 50-yard pass that lifted the Giants to a wild 41-34 victory Sunday over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
One other notable statistic, NO SACKS! Eli never went down behind the line of scrimmage.
The victory was an especially savory one for the defending NFL champs coming on the heels of a disappointing first week loss to the Dallas Cowboys by a close score of 24-17 at home.Four days after rallying from 14 points down to beat Tampa Bay, the Giants dominated the first half, scoring on their first four possessions to build a 20-0 lead.
The defending champion Giants were without three starters but it hardly mattered.
Back up running back Andre Brown ran for a career-high 113 yards and two touchdowns in his first NFL start to help the Giants rout the Panthers 36-7 in a game aired on the NFL Network.
On NFL Thursday Night Football at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, Eli and the Giants outmatched the Carolina Panthers in a game in which the two time super bowl winning quarterback completed 27 of 35 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown.
Once again, there were NO SACKS! Someone must be doing something right.
Manning’s front five averages around 310 pounds per guy and the shortest one is 6’3” tall! They are big and strong and they must also be quick and agile to keep all defenders away from their quarterback for two straight NFL games in a row.
Center David Baas from Michigan, Guards Chris Snee from Boston College and Kevin Boothe from Cornell plus Tackles Sean Locklear from North Carolina State and Will Beatty from UCONN all have put on impressive performances and should be commended. Surely Eli has commended them on more than a few occasions. He has probably even bought them a beer or two on occasion. These guys keep him on the field and out of the hospital. The quarterback may receive all the accolades in the press but the battle in down on the line and these guys are winning.
Eli and the Giants next go to Philadelphia to take on the Michael Vick and the Eagles on September 30.
