NFL

Giants run over inept Buccaneers

TAMPA, Fla. — It was hard to distinguish just what was more evident at Raymond James Stadium yesterday. Are the Giants that good? Or are the Bucs that bad?

Ultimately, both statements hold a measure of truth as evidenced by the Giants’ 24-0 dismantling of the Bucs in a game that was more one-sided than the score indicates.

While Tampa Bay’s rookie head coach Raheem Morris is left to restore the battered psyche of a team that didn’t achieve a first down until the third quarter and managed just 86 net yards, the Giants move on with a 3-0 record and renewed confidence in a resurgent running game and a defense that posted its first shutout since 2005 and first road shutout since 1983.

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“We did have a true Giant physical day, which we needed to have,” Tom Coughlin said after watching his team dominate both sides of the ball.

So thorough was the Giants’ performance, the offense spent much of the post game complimenting the defense, while the defensive players credited their success to their ball-control offense.

“The quicker we were able to get [the Bucs offense] off the field and get their defense back out there, our offense was going to continue to drain them,” said defensive tackle Barry Cofield. “It was a domino effect.”

Center Shaun O’Hara had his own take.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a defense control an offense the way [the Giants] did,” he said. “That’s a testament to them, but it really helps us, too. It enables us to run the ball and control the time of possession.”

The Giants did that and more, posting three scoring drives of 12 plays, including a 12-play, 80-yard tone-setting march on their opening series of the game.

Brandon Jacobs carried six yards for the touchdown, part of a 92-yard rushing day on 26 carries. Ahmad Bradshaw had 104 yards on 14 carries to lead the Giants, who more than doubled their rushing output for the year with 226 yards on 49 attempts.

The Giants wound up owning the ball for 43:38, while the Bucs (0-3) didn’t manage their first first down until five minutes remained in the third quarter.

No, it wasn’t much of a game. When the Giants weren’t pounding the rock, Eli Manning was completing 14 of 24 passes for 161 yards and touchdowns of four yards to Steve Smith and 18 yards to Sinorice Moss.

“I felt pretty comfortable back there,” said Manning, who was replaced by David Carr with 11:57 remaining in the game. “We could dictate to the defense what we were doing instead of the other way around.”

The Giants defense clearly had a point to prove after allowing 251 yards rushing at Dallas last week. Their 33-31 win at Cowboys Stadium did little to soothe what they saw on the stat sheet. The Giants offense, meanwhile, wanted to return to its smash-mouth ways. The struggling Bucs proved to be the perfect foil.

Like the rest of his teammates, former Giants running back Derrick Ward was a non-factor, gaining just two yards on five carries. Bucs QB Byron Leftwich had a miserable day (7 of 16 for 22 yards and one interception) and was pulled for Josh Johnson, who led the Bucs on their only meaningful drive that ended when they turned the ball over on downs at the Giants’ 5.

“We were beat by a grown-man team,” Morris said, “a team we want to be like one day.”

george.willis@nypost.com