Here are the grades for the Giants’ win over the Cowboys in Week 2:
QUARTERBACKS A+
Remember when Eli Manning’s lack of a pulse was the knock on him? Eli Cool (25-of-38, 330 yards, 2 TDs) was at his best when the pressure was the highest.
RUNNING BACKS D
Brandon Jacobs did a lot of talking, but not much running. The big back had 58 yards on 16 carries, with 31 of those com ing on one run.
WIDE RECEIVERS A
Plaxi-who? All of those training camp questions about this group seem silly now. The breakout star was Mario Manningham (10 catches, 150 yards, 1 TD). Steve Smith (10 catches, 134 yards, 1 TD) has grown up.
TIGHT ENDS C
A quiet night from Kevin Boss (1 catch, 13 yards).
OFFENSIVE LINE B
The Cowboys sacked Manning eight times last year. Sunday night Manning left Cowboys Stadium with a clean jersey.
DEFENSIVE LINE D
This unit has been so good for the past few years they deserve a pass, but the Cowboys pushed the Giants around up front.
LINEBACKERS C
Michael Boley (9 tackles) had a nice Giants debut. Antonio Pierce could not cover Jason Witten on Dallas’ only touchdown.
SECONDARY A
The banged-up defensive backs were a big question mark entering the game, but they ended up spoiling Tony Romo’s Cow boys Stadium debut.
SPECIAL TEAMS B
Terrell Thomas nearly whiffed but downed a punt at the 5. Bryan Kehl had a nice night, recovering Jones’ fumble on the kick off that set up a field goal.
KICKING GAME A-
Lawrence Tynes wears ear plugs but it’s a safe bet he still heard the 105,121 fans screaming at him as he lined up to kick the game-winner twice.
COACHING A
All of the emotion was on the Cowboys’ side, but Tom Coughlin kept his team fo cused.