Bradshaw leads Giants' ground attack with 129 yards
Giants' #44 Ahmad Bradshaw finds an open hole in the liine to gain extra yards and avoid the Bears' #54 Brian Urlacher. (Oct. 3, 2010) Credit: Photo by Joe Rogate
Ahmad Bradshaw barreled his way through gaping holes in Chicago's defense last night like a man on a mission.
The Giants scored their first touchdown thanks to a 3-yard run by Bradshaw that put them up 10-0 with 2:48 left in the third quarter. And he was primed to seal the win less than 10 minutes later, scampering 30 yards toward the end zone.
He cradled the ball in his right hand as he hustled down the field, but with Bradshaw just steps from delivering his second touchdown of the night, Bears cornerback Zackary Bowman poked the ball out of his grip and recovered the fumble, giving Chicago the ball at its 1-yard line.
"I have a habit of looking back, and this game I told myself I would look at the JumboTron if I broke loose," said Bradshaw, who ran for a season-high 129 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. "And as soon as I looked up, he was poking it out."
But minutes later, after the Giants' defense stopped the Bears' ensuing drive, it was Brandon Jacobs - the running back who's spent more time in the doghouse than picking up yardage on the field - who eventually sealed the Giants' 17-3 victory with a 2-yard touchdown run.
The Giants had good field position in the first half but were never quite able to get the ball in the end zone. Frustrated but undeterred, the running backs said they knew it was only a matter of time before the big score would come.
"The type of players we are on offense and know how talented we are on offense, it was very aggravating," said Jacobs, who ran for 62 yards, including a 29-yard run, on six carries. "It made a lot of us mad, but we hung in there and kept pushing it and kept pushing it. And a lot of that anger transferred to the field."
Bradshaw, who had a costly fumble and a chop-block penalty in last week's loss to Tennessee, had runs of 11 and 20 yards in the first quarter and one of 25 yards in the third. He had a feeling the Giants eventually would wear down the Bears' defense.
"I think everybody knew we were going to win this game, offensively and defensively," he said. "We were just hungry this week. There was a lot of passion, a lot of heart put into practices, and we just showed it on the field today."
Said Jacobs: "We are the Giants. We are a running team, and no one's going to change that."
