Hakeem Nicks looked like he needed a pep talk late in the first half of Sunday’s 27-13 victory over the Packers and he got one, from Brandon Jacobs.
Nicks was not having a strong game, with only one catch for 4 yards. He had bumped knees with cornerback Tramon Williams on a pass interference penalty on Williams and looked a bit shaky for a few minutes. He was not on the field, replaced by seldom-used Louis Murphy, when Murphy ran the wrong route and was to blame for Eli Manning’s only interception of the game.
Nicks said he might have been a little winded, which is why Murphy was in for him. At one point, he had a towel draped over his head on the bench and Jacobs and Andre Brown came over to console him.
“It wasn’t serious, we were just talking about football,’’ Nicks said. “We were talking about the opportunity, my opportunities come few and far between. I like taking advantage of every opportunity, so I was just getting on myself a little bit.’’
Jacobs said: “We’re teammates, I expect him to give me a pep talk if I need to have a pep talk. We’re here to inspire one another. That’s what I like to do. Listen, I’m just here to inspire Hakeem. I love him like a brother, I want to see him do as best as he possibly can. Regardless of what the issue was, I’m here to give him confidence and inspire him as a teammate as best as I possibly can.’’
Nicks in the second half had three receptions for 46 yards.
Jacobs after missing the past three games with hamstring and knee issues had only five rushing attempts for nine yards, but he was highly effective. He twice picked up first downs on fourth-and-1 runs and he scored on a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
The Giants are the second team in NFL history to follow a start of 0-6 or worse with four consecutive victories. The 2009 Titans lost their first six games and won the next five. … Coach Tom Coughlin won his 155th regular-season game as an NFL head coach, moving past Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs and moving Coughlin into 15th place on the league’s career list, three wins behind Bud Grant, who is also in the Hall of Fame.
Rueben Randle’s 32-yard punt return in the first quarter was a career high. … A facemask penalty on RT Justin Pugh wiped out what would have been a 20-yard scramble by Eli Manning on the first series of the game. … Mason Crosby’s 57-yard field goal at the first half buzzer was the longest ever against the Giants and the second-longest in Packers history. Previously, the longest field goal against the Giants was Brett Conway’s 55-yarder for the Redskins on Oct. 7, 2001. … Packers DT Johnny Jolly (groin) did not play in the second half.