NFL Recap (Green Bay-NY Giants)
Posted: Sun November 15, 1998 at 9:04 p.m. EST
GREEN BAY 37, NY GIANTS 3
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- The Green Bay Packers
rebounded from Monday night's loss and prepared for next week's NFC Central
showdown in impressive fashion, recording their biggest road victory in 36
years, 37-3 over the reeling New York Giants.
The Packers (7-3) fell two games behind Minnesota in the Central with
a 27-20 loss in Pittsburgh on Monday. But they remained two games off the
pace with their largest margin of victory on the road since November 11th,
1962, when they clubbed the Philadelphia Eagles, 49-0.
"We were much more focused," explained coach Mike Holmgren. "I don't
like the word intense. We were intense last Monday. We just didn't
execute."
The Packers play at Minnesota next week. The Vikings won at Green
Bay, 37-24, in Week Five.
"This was just an opportunity to show the world we're an elite team,
especially going into Minnesota," said safety LeRoy Butler.
"We were not mad at Pittsburgh. We were not mad at the Giants," added
quarterback Brett
Favre. "We were just frustrated with ourselves and tonight was just a
chance of playing well and executing and taking advantage of situations."
The Packers had lost two straight road games behind the league's worst
rushing attack and were without a pair of injured running backs but Darick Holmes had 27
carries for 111 yards, 16 fewer than New York's entire offense, and a
touchdown.
"We'll just continue to use who has the hot hand and stay with it,"
Holmgren said. "It's not a big list and we'll see who is healthy."
Green Bay piled up 433 yards of total offense while holding a
19-minute, 26-second advantage in time of possession.
Favre, the league's three-time MVP, completed 21-of-33 passes for 267
yards and a pair of touchdowns to backup tight end Tyrone Davis before
leaving the game midway through the fourth quarter.
He became the second fastest player in NFL history to throw 200 career
TDs, tossing his 200th and 201st in his 107th game. Favre also reached the
25,000-yard plateau in passing yards.
"To be honest, I didn't really know I was getting close," he said.
"Individual stats are great but if we lost this game, it really wouldn't
matter. My job is to lead the team to victory. All anyone remembers is who
has the Super Bowl rings."
The defending NFC East champion Giants (3-7) lost their third straight
and fifth in six games. They have scored seven or fewer points four times
this season and have one touchdown in their last 12 quarters, including
none in the last nine.
Danny Kanell
completed just 8-of-20 passes for 88 yards with two interceptions and Gary Brown led all New
York rushers with only 21 yards on eight carries. The Giants managed nine
first downs while committing three turnovers.
"I'm very disappointed with the way we played," said coach Jim Fassel,
who suffered his worst loss in two years with the Giants. "They're a
better football team than we are but they are not that much better and I
thought we could have played better than that. I am very disappointed. They
beat us in all phases."
The Packers took advantage of two takeaways to grab a 20-3 lead at
halftime. Butler intercepted Kanell near midfield before Ryan Longwell's 39-yard
field goal gave Green Bay a 10-0 advantage.
Veteran defensive end Reggie White later sacked
Kanell and forced a fumble, which Keith McKenzie recovered
at New York's 30-yard line. Longwell's 24-yard field goal on the final
play of the half made it 20-0.
Favre was 14-of-23 for 174 yards with two touchdown passes in the
first half. His two-yard TD toss to Davis with 88 seconds left in the first
quarter opened the scoring. The two later connected on a 60-yard scoring
strike, increasing the lead to 17-3.
"Brett just laid the first one out there and I was able to outleap him
(linebacker Marcus
Buckley) on the first TD," Davis said. "On the second one, I didn't
think I'd be that wide open. I just caught the ball and ran for my life. I
used to be a wide receiver, and that helped today."
The Packers continued to roll in the second half as Roell Preston returned the
opening kickoff 66 yards to the Giants 33. Seven plays later, Longwell
booted a 31-yard field goal.
New York managed a total of 10 plays on three third-quarter
possessions. Kanell ended the middle drive by firing his second
interception to Butler at the Giants 45 with 3:01 left in the quarter.
Holmes highlighted Green Bay's fourth-quarter TD drive with 32 yards
on 10 carries, capping the 14-play, 83-yard march and the scoring with a
two-yard TD. He became the first Packer to reach the 100-yard plateau this
season.
"It feels good," he said. "It was nice to get a chance to show what I
can do. I got more comfortable as the game went on and that was just a case
of getting into game shape."
Holmes also rushed five times for 19 yards on a TD drive in the third
quarter. William
Henderson finished it with a seven-yard touchdown.
Both backup quarterbacks saw action for their respective teams. Doug Pederson replaced
Favre in the fourth quarter and threw one pass in his first game back since
suffering a broken jaw. Kent Graham went 2-for-5
for 12 yards in place of Kanell.
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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