This week in NFL football, several of Sunday’s games ended with interesting outcomes. To celebrate the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the New York Giants wore pink flags and pink ribbon stickers on their helmets to show their support.
The Giants made up for their loss against the Philadelphia Eagles last week with their win against the Cleveland Browns. The first touchdown of the game, scored by WR Josh Gordon, put Cleveland on the board, but not for long. WR Victor Cruz scored his first of three touchdowns for the Giants shortly after.
Other star players for the Giants during this match were DB Stevie Brown, who managed two interceptions that turned the ball back over in favor of Big Blue as well as RB Ahmad Bradshaw, who scored another touchdown. The game-saving play was LB Chase Blackburn’s interception in the end zone, which completely rejected Browns QB Brandon Weeden’s close attempt at another seven points.
The game ended with a score of 41-27 victory for the G-men. The team will be moving on to San Francisco to face the 49ers next Sunday, which will be the first time the two teams have seen each other since last year’s NFL playoffs.
Also on Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts played the Green Bay Packers in Indianapolis. The Colts clinched the game in its final minutes, stunning Green Bay.
Later on that night, the Denver Broncos took on the New England Patriots in New England. This game certainly was an interesting quarterback showdown. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are no strangers on the turf, and Brady and his team used their familiarity with Manning’s idiosyncrasies to their advantage. Though Manning did his job on the field trying to hold up his team, the Broncos struggled to keep up with the Patriots’ defense, which gave Manning a run for his money throughout the entire game. The Patriots finished up with a 10-point lead over the Broncos, making the final score 31-21.
Though the Giants made an outstanding comeback this week against Cleveland, their defense definitely needs to step it up if they want to make headway this season, and QB Eli Manning will need to up his focus. For any NFL team, but especially the New York Giants, consistency—as well as execution—are key. This week’s players, like Cruz and five-year veteran Bradshaw, need to keep up the good work, especially in the upcoming game.
Will the Giants—now 3-2—deliver in their game against a 49ers team looking for retribution after their last meeting? If the team can keep bringing their focus to games, they shouldn’t have a problem.
It’s still too soon to tell.
Caitlin O’Connor