Andre Brown – © USA TODAY Sports Images
New York Giants Win Third Game in a Row, Beat Oakland Raiders 24-20: The New York Giants defeated the Oakland Raiders 24-20 on Sunday afternoon at a windy MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. With the victory, the Giants have improved their record to 3-6; it is New York’s third win in a row after starting the season 0-6.
Offensive and special teams miscues by the Giants kept the game closer than it probably should have been. WR Jerrel Jernigan fumbled away the opening kickoff. The ball was recovered by the Raiders at the Giants’ 27-yard line and returned to the 5-yard line. Two plays later, QB Terrell Pryor of the Raiders scored from one yard out and the Oakland was up quickly 7-0.
The Giants went three-and-out on their first offensive possession. The Raiders crossed midfield but were pushed back a holding penalty. Four plays later, on 4th-and-15, DE Damontre Moore blocked Oakland’s punt. S Cooper Taylor recovered the loose ball at the the Raiders’ 21-yard line and returned it for a touchdown. The game was tied at 7-7.
Oakland picked up first down on their third possession, but then punted. On New York’s second possession, the Giants also picked up one first down, but were pushed back by an 11-yard sack. On 3rd-and-20, RB Peyton Hillis fumbled the ball away after a short pass from QB Eli Manning on a screen play. The ball was recovered by the Raiders at the Giants’ 21-yard line. New York’s defense held and forced a 33-yard field goal. Raiders 10 – Giants 7.
New York’s offense continued to struggle on their third possession as the Giants only picked up one first down and then punted. On the Giants’ first three offensive possessions, the Giants only gained two first downs and 20 yards, with two punts and one fumble. After the Raiders went three-and-out, the offense finally got its act together, driving 90 yards in 11 plays. The drive culminated with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Manning to WR Rueben Randle. Giants 14 – Raiders 10.
On the ensuing Raiders’ possession, Oakland picked up a couple of first downs but was forced to punt, the ball being downed at the Giants’ 3-yard line with less than five minutes to go in the half. The Giants moved the ball to their own 37-yard line. But on 1st-and-10 with 1:28 left before intermission, Manning’s pass intended for WR Victor Cruz was intercepted by CB Tracy Porter at the Giants’ 43-yard line and returned for a touchdown.
At the half, the Raiders led 17-14.
The Raiders extended their lead to 20-14 with their best offensive drive of the game on their opening possession of the third quarter. The Raiders march 74 yards in 14 plays and had the ball 1st-and-goal at the Giants’ 1-yard line. But New York’s defense held and forced a 23-yard field goal. That would be Oakland’s last points of the game.
The Giants’ offense went three-and-out on their first possession of the second half. A bad punt by P Steve Weatherford traveled only 27 yards and gave the Raiders the ball at the Giants’ 48-yard line. (Weatherford had a rough day punting, averaging only 30 yards per punt). After picking up a first down, the Raiders faced a 3rd-and-9 from the Giants’ 33-yard line. CB Terrell Thomas picked off Pryor at the 30-yard line and returned the interception 65 yards to the Oakland 5-yard line. Two plays later, RB Andre Brown scored from one yard out and the Giants regained the lead 21-20.
The Raiders went three-and-out and punted the ball away as the third quarter expired. The Giants’ offense then drove 70 yards in 13 plays, but were not able to punch the ball in after facing 1st-and-goal from the 4-yard line. New York settled for a 23-yard field goal by PK Josh Brown and a 24-20 advantage.
The Raiders and Giants then exchanged three-and-outs. Weatherford’s punt was partially blocked and only travelled seven yards with less than five minutes to play in the game. Oakland picked up one first down, but on third-and-10, Pryor was sacked by DE Mathias Kiwanuka, who stripped the football loose. DT Cullen Jenkins recovered with 3:21 left in the game. The Giants successfully ran out the clock with Andre Brown carrying the load.
Offensively, Manning finished the game 12-of-22 for 140 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. His leading receivers were WR Hakeem Nicks (four catches for 49 yards), Randle (three catches for 50 yards and a touchdown), and Cruz (three catches for 37 yards). Andre Brown carried the ball 30 times for 115 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, S Antrel Rolle led the team with 12 tackles, one sack, and one tackle for a loss. LB Keith Rivers had eight tackles, one sack, and one tackle for a loss. Defensive ends Mathias Kiwanuka and Jason-Pierre-Paul each had sacks as well. Thomas picked off one pass and Jenkins recovered a fumble that Kiwanuka forced.
Video highlights are available at NFL.com. The video of Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s post-game locker room speech is available at Giants.com.
Injury Report: DE Jason Pierre-Paul left the game with a shoulder injury (stinger) but returned. X-rays were negative.
Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s Post-Game Press Conference: The transcript and video of Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s post-game press conference are available at Giants.com.
Player Post-Game Media Q&As: Transcripts and video of post-game media sessions with the following players are available at Giants.com:
New York Giants Post-Game Notes: Inactive for the Giants were QB Ryan Nassib, RB Brandon Jacobs (hamstring/knee), TE Adrien Robinson (foot), OC Dallas Reynolds, DT Markus Kuhn, CB Corey Webster (groin/ankle), and CB Jayron Hosley (hamstring).
The Giants won their sixth consecutive game following a regular-season bye.
The Giants trailed at halftime, 17-14. This was their first victory in a game in which they trailed at the half since September 16, 2012 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Giants had lost their last 10 games when trailing at the half, including six this season.
The Giants committed only one penalty for five yards.
The game featured the Giants’ first blocked punt for a touchdown since 1988. The touchdown was also the Giants’ first non-offensive touchdown this season.
RB Andre Brown started at running back, the sixth player to start at that position this season. Brown’s 30 carries and 115 yards were both single-game career highs.
QB Eli Manning has thrown three interceptions for touchdowns this season. Manning has thrown 16 interceptions this season, one more than he had for all of 2012.
The Giants’ defense had four sacks for the second game in a row.
