Grading the Giants

OFFENSE

C Eli Manning completed 23 of 40 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns, but he turned the ball over twice, including a really bad pick-six. The other was a fumble late in the second quarter that led to a missed field goal by the Packers. The Giants' running game was rejuvenated by the return of Ahmad Bradshaw (38 yards on 11 carries), but it was Brandon Jacobs who seemed to flourish with 59 yards on eight attempts (7.4 yards per carry) and a touchdown. Victor Cruz had another standout game with seven receptions for 119 yards.

DEFENSEC If we're grading on a curve off Monday's game against the Saints, there aren't enough pluses to follow the A. But the fact is the Giants allowed the Packers to score on their final two possessions, which accounted for 10 points and the winning field goal as time expired. The Packers converted 7 of 12 third downs and had 449 yards of total offense. They wanted desperately to get after Rodgers and did sack him twice with a few other pressures, but Rodgers also wound up the team's leading rusher with 32 yards on four carries.

SPECIAL TEAMSB+ Lawrence Tynes connected on field goals from 38 and 50 yards and Steve Weatherford put two of his four punts inside the 20. The Giants did a good job in coverage, containing the dangerous Randall Cobb. Chase Blackburn had an immediate impact with two special teams tackles. The Giants sat Da'Rel Scott as a kickoff returner and used Devin Thomas and Will Blackmon, and both had moderate success.

COACHING

C Perry Fewell certainly provided a spark for the defense, and their energy level was exponentially higher than it was against the Saints last Monday. They were able to get some pressure on Rodgers even when they rushed only three and dropped into coverage, which had not been the case for most of the season. Offensively, they finally found a way to use Travis Beckum, a coaching victory in itself.