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Giants power past punchless Ravens

Nov 16, 2008 - 11:38 PM By Joe Rizzo PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- The New York Giants' running game never let push come to shove against the Baltimore Ravens' vaunted defense.

The battle between the NFL's top-ranked units was not much of a match at all, as the "Earth, Wind and Fire" trio of Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 210 yards Sunday en route to a 30-10 victory over Baltimore.

Jacobs ran for 73 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries, Ward added 41 yards on the ground and Bradshaw gained 77 of his team-leading 96 rushing yards on a back-breaking run in the fourth quarter. The Giants finished with 207 rushing yards, as Eli Manning kneeled down on the final two plays.

The Giants (9-1), who have won five straight contests, became the first opponent to finish with at least 200 rushing yards against Baltimore in over 11 years.

"We are excited to be 9-1 and being 6-0 at home," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "That game was a very physical contest."

Jacobs took a hit to the knee and Coughlin, who kept him out most of the second half, said the big back is "very, very sore. So we're going to have to go through the whole drill routine there."

"All three of us in the backfield did well and it could have been worse," Jacobs said. "Due to technical difficulties, I didn't return, but they were having trouble with Mother Nature today.

"I could have gone out there and played, but we have two other backs in there and there was no need to do that."

The last team to eclipse the 200-yard mark against Baltimore was the Pittsburgh Steelers, who accumulated 214 yards against the Ravens on October 5, 1997.

"I love Tennessee, but I have to say the Giants (are the best team in the NFL) right now," Titans cornerback Samari Rolle said. "They just out-physicaled us today."

Rookie Joe Flacco, a New Jersey native, threw for 164 yards and ran for a team-best 57 for the Ravens (6-4), who went 2-1 on a three-game road trip but had a four-game winning streak halted.

"That's what you need to do sometimes, pick up first downs running the ball," Flacco said of his six carries. "We didn't capitalize enough when we got past the 50."

The Giants bulled through the Ravens with ease on the opening drive and never stopped.

Jacobs bounced off the pile and sprung around the left side for a 36-yard gain to the Ravens 32-yard line and later blew through a gauntlet of defenders in the middle of the field on a 10-yard rush to put the ball at the 1. He powered in one play later to give New York a 7-0 lead.

"That's what I do, I set the tone for our team," Jacobs said.

"That's a little bit out of character from Brandon," Giants center Shaun O'Hara said. "He probably has not had a run like that since Southern Illinois."

Baltimore responded with a penalty-aided drive into New York's red zone, but Matt Stover had his 32-yard field-goal try blocked by Fred Robbins, and the loose ball finally was covered back at the Ravens 33.

"We have been close all year," Robbins said. "And today we got a good push. I was able to get my hands up and make a play. The ball actually hit my helmet."

Jacobs keyed the ensuing five-play drive by once again bullishly shredding the defense en route to another 1-yard scoring plunge. A fumbled snap on the extra point attempt left the score 13-0 with 59 seconds left in the first quarter.

The drive was kept alive one play after the field-goal block when cornerback Fabian Washington's interception of a tipped pass by Manning was negated because defensive tackle Justin Bannan was offside.

Manning completed 13-of-23 attempts for 153 yards with one touchdown and one interception, making a key play here and there when his running backs were not dominating.

With Jacobs in the locker room getting re-taped, New York showed its diversity behind Ward, going 90 yards in 12 plays over 6:40.

The drive ended when Manning hit third-string tight end Darcy Johnson for a 1-yard TD midway through the second quarter to extend the lead to 20-0.

Ward had 55 total yards on the drive, and it was the first career reception for Johnson, a second-year undrafted free agent.

"Every level I have played football, my first catch has been a touchdown," Johnson said.

Baltimore broke through just over three minutes later when Stover converted from 38 yards, closing the gap to 20-3.

The Ravens were whistled nine times for 56 penalty yards in the first half, but were only flagged once in the second half.

Baltimore began to rally in the third quarter, taking 7:24 on a 13-play, 79-yard drive that Flacco capped with a 10-yard scoring pass to fullback Le'Ron McClain to make it 20-10.

Despite the presence of veteran Willis McGahee and second-round pick Ray Rice in the backfield, McClain has six touchdowns - five rushing - this season.

Baltimore was about to break past midfield with 14 seconds left in the third quarter.

But Flacco's pass into the left flat hit Derrick Mason in the shoulder and cornerback Aaron Ross caught it and ran 50 yards for a touchdown to give New York a comfortable 27-10 cushion.

"My eyes got real big," said Ross, who later left the game with a calf strain but appeared to be all right in the locker room. "The first thing I had to think about was catching the ball. My eyes got too big last week and I dropped it."

Bradshaw led the NFL in playoff rushing yardage en route to the Giants' Super Bowl championship last season but is stuck at third on the team's depth chart.

Used as Coughlin's fourth-quarter weapon, Bradshaw exploded through the line for a 77-yard run to bring the ball to the 2 and set up Tynes' 19-yard field goal that made it 30-10 with 12:02 left in the game.

"It was blocked perfectly," Bradshaw said. "It had Ray Lewis overflowing. I was able to cut back. I just tried to use my speed to get into the open field and get into the end zone. I kept looking back, which I shouldn't have, because it slowed me down."

"A million times out of a million times, the guys on our defense make that play," Lewis said. "It's something we take pride in. We just don't do that - let backs get outside."

Baltimore's final charge was stopped near midfield when Mathias Kiwanuka recorded the Giants' only sack of the game on 4th-and-11. New York took over and ran out the clock.

"We're 6-4," Lewis said. "It all starts again Monday. Let's go home. (We have) four out of the final six games in Baltimore. I'll take the odds with that."