Heading into Sunday’s matchup between the New York Giants and Denver Broncos, the hysteria surrounded opposing quarterbacks and brothers Eli Manning and Peyton Manning. Labeled “Manning Bowl 3,” all eyes were focused on which brother would out-duel the other.
But Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno decided to crash the party, carrying the football 13 times for 93 yards and two touchdowns, en route to a 41-23 victory over the Giants at MetLife Stadium.
“The guys were staying on their keys,” Moreno said following the game. “We were going against a great front and a good team overall. So the guys stayed together and made some adjustments and did a great job upfront of blocking.”
With the Giants fighting to keep it close late in the third quarter, Moreno rushed for what would prove to be the game-clinching 25-yard touchdown run down the right sideline.
Eli Manning was off his game for the second week in a row, throwing four interceptions. He now leads the NFL with seven interceptions through two games.
He and his receivers did not appear to be on the same page for much of the game, which contributed to Manning’s high interception total. He completed just 57 percent of his pass attempts (28 for 49) for 362 yards. His only noteworthy play of the afternoon came on a last-ditch effort shuffle pass to running back Da’Rel Scott, which the third-year back corralled and sprinted down the field for a 23-yard touchdown.
“Before the season I like to set goals, keeping interceptions in the single digits. I kind of have to start over here,” Manning said. “Obviously, some of them happen and you have to look at decisions and you get some bad breaks.
“At the end of games or when you’re competing, I’m going to be aggressive and not worry about the stats or quarterback rating at the end. Honestly I’m not trying to throw interceptions … I’m just worried about getting back to playing well offensively and eliminating some of these turnovers.”
On the flipside, big brother Peyton had another stellar day for the Broncos. He completed 30-of-43 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns. He and his receivers were vital to the Broncos’ success throughout the afternoon, converting third down after third down against the Giants’ defense.
Third down conversions were very much the name of the game for both teams. While the Broncos were successful on eight of 15 attempts, the G-Men were only able to convert on one of the 11 third downs they were faced with.
The addition of running back Brandon Jacobs, who was expected to handle short-yardage and red-zone duties, was not particularly successful this week. He carried the football seven times for four yards, but did add a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The Giants were forced to settle for field goals on their other two trips inside their opponent’s 20-yard line.
“It’s emotional. I’m back, I’m a Giant, I got a chance to get into the end zone today, but you know, scoring that touchdown was very important but we didn’t win,” Jacobs said. “It means nothing. I was happy I got it but it means nothing because we didn’t win.”
The Giants’ defense performed well in the first half, allowing a big chunk of yardage to Peyton Manning but successfully keeping the Broncos out of the end zone. The Broncos headed into the tunnel at halftime clinging to a 10-9 lead with the only touchdown coming from a 20-yard run down the right sideline by Moreno early in the second quarter.
But in the second half, everything fell apart. The Broncos outscored the Giants 31-14 and dominated from start to finish.
Peyton became the third player to throw for over 60,000 passing yards in his career on Denver’s opening offensive drive of the game, joining Brett Favre and Dan Marino as the only players to do so. He connected with Welker, who had three drops in the first half, and tight end Julius Thomas for touchdowns. He was rarely rattled in the pocket, with minimal pressure coming from the Giants, and he picked their defense apart at will.
“It’s hard to rush Peyton Manning,” Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said. “I think we got pressure in spots, but he does a good job getting the ball out of his hands. I would doubt that we had a lot of times where he held the ball more than three seconds.”
The Giants started the game off hot. They recovered a fumble by Montee Ball at their own goal line, and then Eli connected with wideout Victor Cruz for a 51-yard gain down the middle of the field on the team’s first offensive play.
They sputtered in the red zone, however, and Josh Brown kicked a 36-yard field goal to give the Giants their first and only lead of the day, 3-0. Brown added field goals of 24 and 41 yards in the second quarter.
Now in a 0-2 hole to start the season, the Giants are in desperate need of a turnaround with a trip to Carolina to take on the Panthers (0-2) up next.
“I think we’ll bounce back and I thought there were some good things,” Eli Manning said of the Giants’ performance. “I think we’ll keep fighting and get back on track. I know everybody in our division lost today, so the way we can look at it, we’re one game back in the division. We’ve got to get back to winning some games.”
Louis Musto is a reporter and sports talk host for the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. All quotes were acquired first hand or via team press releases unless otherwise noted. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.