Prior to kickoff, several players were shown on the jumbo screens at Giants Stadium repeating one word: Resilient. It was a trait that came to define their improbable Super Bowl title and it’s a trait they’ll need in abundance as they try to defend it.
Nothing comes easy. If the Giants did not know that before Thursday night’s season-opener against the rival Redskins, they learned a valuable lesson as they stormed to a big lead then held on for a 16-7 victory at Giants Stadium.
Eli Manning, the MVP of Super Bowl XLII, started off on fire then cooled considerably on the hot, humid evening. He got the Giants in the end zone on their first drive but didn’t return all night, at times struggling with a shaky pocket and a few throws that made the fans cringe. The Giants did not score in the second half but came out on top because the Redskins at times looked as if they never met each other on offense in Jim Zorn’s first game as head coach.
After going 3-5 at home last season – the first Super Bowl winner to have a losing record at home – the Giants got off the blocks with a victory that once looked as if it would be a breeze. Credit a dominating defense that picked up where it left off in last year’s postseason, plus an offense that took care of time of possession, for combining to create a successful opener.
Plaxico Burress, signed to a new five-year, $35 million contract prior to the game, could not be stopped, catching 10 passes for 133 yards.
The Giants hit the brakes on what started out looking like a giant-sized rout, easing to a 16-0 lead then settling into a typical NFC East wrestling match. They did not score in the third quarter and looked ragged. Manning threw behind Burress on what appeared to be miscommunication between the quarterback and receiver. Cornerback Carlos Rogers nearly intercepted that pass.
On the next Giants possession, Manning was pressured by defensive end Andre Carter and while back-pedaling fired way out of the reach of Kevin Boss, allowing Fred Smoot to come away with an interception. Manning was bailed out by his defense, which quickly forced a three-and-out on the anemic Redskins offense.
After a rousing pregame ceremony – climaxed by Michael Strahan popping out of a huge, inflated Lombardi Trophy holding aloft the real Lombardi Trophy – the Giants went to work as if they never left last year’s postseason. Manning directed a crisp 84-yard drive, ripping off passes to Burress, who on one play reached over Smoot and deflected the ball up to himself. Manning finished what he started with a rare display of agility: On a naked bootleg he rolled right and actually cut inside linebacker Marcus Washington on a 1-yard touchdown run.
The next time Manning got his hands on the ball his best option was handing it to Brandon Jacobs, who rumbled 33 yards on three carries on a drive that stalled on the Washington 7-yard line. Newly signed old kicker John Carney hit a 24-yard field goal and not long after nailed a 25-yarder for a 13-0 Giants lead and a bit later hit an impressive 47-yarder to make it 16-0.
It all looked so easy — but the Giants also were wasteful, twice getting inside the Washington 9-yard line and coming up short of the end zone.
For a while, it looked as if the defense would pitch a shutout. Starting out with the same ferocity they unleashed in the Super Bowl, the Giants ravaged the Skins, with Justin Tuck (Strahan’s replacement) storming in for a 10-yard sack of Jason Campbell on the first defensive play. The Redskins did absolutely nothing on three ineffective series before finally springing to life, thanks to a 50-yard kickoff return by Rock Cartwright. A drive helped along by a facemask penalty on Jay Alford cashed in when Campbell hit wide-open Santana Moss on a 12-yard scoring pass to make it 16-7 at the half.