Giants Try To Rebound Against Cardinals

NFL News - October 20th, 2009 - Written by Scott

Now that the aura of the New York Giants seems to have faded just a bit, the reputation of super power status seemed to be a mirage the whole time. Well, maybe that kind of drastic statement isn't necessarily true, but the Giants all the sudden look beatable. They were dominant in each of their first five games in the 2009 NFL Season, but a closer looks shows that those opponents are a combined 8-22. There first big test came against the New Orleans Saints and turned into a step backwards. Eli Manning's return to the Super Dome was marred by a furious offensive attack by the Saints, and his shortcomings were highlighted most of the day.

The message sent was keep Manning moving and pressure him into making quick decisions.

The result? Two turnovers and more incompletions in one game than he had in the two previous weeks. League-leading receiver Steve Smith only got the ball four times for 44 yards, and half of that came on one play.

The Arizona Cardinals, who are quietly 3-2, will hope to implement that simple strategy this week when they meet the Giants for the second time in two years. The Giants won last season, 37-29, and the rematch is this week's Sunday Night Football game. The Giants are favored by seven with an even payout of -110 both ways. The over/under is 46. The Cardinals have hit the over in 13 of their last 16 as the underdog.

Also like last season, the Cardinals will be coming off of a win against the Seahawks. They dominated their divisional rivals 27-3 last week and seem to be finding a rhythm on offense. Kurt Warner hasn't thrown less than 243 yards in any game and Larry Fitzgerald is getting into the offense in a big way. He had 100 yards receiving last week for the first time this season and leads the team with 360 yards overall. He also scored a touchdown, giving him at least one score in four of his team's five games.

But he is far from the pace of New York's Smith, who is arguably the surprise of his position. After his pedestrian performance last week, he has since moved to third on the receiving list, but still boasts 525 yards and four scores. Despite Smith getting the bulk of the catches, Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks have also been productive. Manningham is second on the team with 392 (which is more than most team's leader), and Nicks has caught a touchdown in each of the three games he's played.

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw is averaging 6.2 yards a carry to lead a rushing attack that is second in the entire NFL.

Meanwhile, The Cardinals are dead last in the league in rushing, with no player ranking in the top-45. Tim Hightower is the team leader with 158, which is 17 more than Bucs quarterback Josh Johnson and 18 more than Jaguars QB David Garrard.

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