Giants Steamrolle Oakland

NFL News - October 11th, 2009 - Written by John

Eli Manning. David Carr. It really didn't matter.

The Oakland Raiders were completely unable to stop the Giants offense, falling to 1-4 on the season with another miserable game. Manning only played a half, but threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Giants to a 44-7 win on Sunday. He had a perfect rating of 158.3, completing eight of ten passes before head coach Tom Coughlin elected to pull him from the game when it got out of hand, which (a) allowed him to rest his ailing toe and (b) gave back-up Carr some easy snaps.

The New York Giants offense didn't skip a beat, gaining 27 total first downs and 483 total yards on the night. Bruising running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combined for 177 yards on the ground and two touchdowns (both by Bradshaw), and the Giants are 5-0 for the first time since 1990.

Oakland's lone score came in the second quarter, when Sinorice Moss set up an easy opportunity with a fumbled punt return at his own 15-yard line. Michael Bush, who split carries with Justin Fargas, finished teh drive with a five-yard rush that made it 28-7. The game was already out of hand at that point after Bradshaw pounded his two touchdown runs from distances of one and 19 yards. Manning took over in the second quarter, airing it out to two young receivers to go ahead by 28. Mario Manningham was the first beneficiary, catching a 30-yard pass in the corner of the end zone before Hakeem Nicks gobbled up a nine-yard strike, his second it two games. Nicks had to sit out two games with an ankle injury, but has a score in each of the three games he has played.

The biggest storyline coming into the game was whether or not Manning would even play in the game after turf toe took him out early in last week's win over Kansas City. He didn't practice til Friday, but still felt good enough to return for his 83rd straight start. His first play of the game, a play-action completion to Darcy Johnson, eased the Giants' worries and set the tone for a 77-yard drive that ended in Bradshaw's one-yard plunge on fourth down. He only needed eight more plays to make it 21-0.

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