The last time these teams met was back in 2006, when the Colts outlasted the Giants 26–21 at Giants Stadium. Since then, a lot has transpired for the Manning brothers—most notably, winning consecutive Super Bowls in 2006 and 2007.
This time around, Eli and Peyton will certainly be less focused on all the hype that surrounded Manning Bowl I and will instead be trying to keep their teams from falling behind in their respective divisions. That goes especially for Peyton, whose Colts are in jeopardy of going 0–2 for the first time since his rookie season in 1998.
Playing at home for the first time this season, and coming off an embarrassing 34–24 loss last week at the hands of the Houston Texans, the Colts will be fired up for this game.
And it will start with Peyton.
Last week, Indy’s rushing attack was limited to a mere 44 yards and Peyton was forced to throw the ball for the majority of the game. But with the elder Manning at the helm, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Against Houston, he completed an amazing 40 of 57 passes for three touchdowns and 433 yards. If he has to do it again this week, there’s no saying he can’t replicate those numbers, even with a strong secondary like the Giants have.
One thing is for certain, Antrel Rolle, Corey Webster, and Kenny Phillips, and the rest of the Giants secondary better be playing their ‘A’ game regardless if the Colts running game is clicking or not.
Speaking with www.giants.com, Rolle knows it will be tough saying, “It’s not one thing that he [Manning] does incredibly well. He does a lot of things incredibly well. He’s good at what he does, and he takes pride in what he does.”
“He’s a guy that studies his opponent 40 to 50 hours a week. In my eyes, that’s insane, but that’s why he’s at the level he is at.”
One Giant who is quite familiar with Manning’s capabilities is middle linebacker Keith Bulluck, who regularly faced him as a starter with the Tennessee Titans.
He added, “You’ve got to believe in the game plan that you have going in, and you definitely have to be disciplined in your zone drops and your man coverages, and your disguises. You definitely have to be disciplined against the Colts.”
Giants’ defensive tackle Justin Tuck is confident in his teammates. He said, “As good as Peyton is, as long as we do what we need to do and don’t allow their style of play to get us rattled, we'll be fine.”
Against Carolina last week, the G-Men sacked quarterback Matt Moore four times and knocked him out of the game. Last week against the Texans, Indy’s offensive line struggled mightily against Houston’s pass rush and Peyton Manning was hit multiple times and sacked twice.
If the Giants defense can bring the same fiery game plan they had in Week 1 and execute it, they could have a real chance at containing Manning.
Eli’s Coming
On the other side of the ball, Eli Manning and the Giants offense will be facing a Colts defense that surrendered 355 total yards (98 yards passing, 257 yards rushing) last week. No doubt, the Colts defense will be looking to rebound from that depressing performance and will want to shut down the younger Manning and Co.
But New York has a real chance to do some damage.
Against a quick Carolina defense, Eli completed 20 of 30 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns—all of them thrown to rising star receiver Hakeem Nicks.
With Eli slinging passes to a talented core group of receivers including Nicks, Steve Smith, and Mario Manningham, the Giants stand a good chance to put up decent numbers against the Colts defense that will be without Pro-Bowl safety Bob Sanders (torn bicep).
The Giants ground game was equally efficient last week, amassing 118 yards with the shifty Ahmad Bradshaw starting at running back. Keeping in perspective that the Colts gave up nearly 300 yards on the ground and that could swing things in New York’s favor.
Whatever the case, in order for the G-Men to win this emotional road game they must do everything in their power to contain Peyton Manning. When playing the Colts, that is what is demanded. Anything less could lead to a very long day—or, a long night in this case.
Game time is at 8:20 p.m.
Friends Read Free