Chapter III of the Manning Bowl takes center stage on Sunday when Eli Manning and the New York Giants host older brother Peyton and the Denver Broncos. That the game will be played at MetLife Stadium - the venue for this season's Super Bowl - only adds to the hype for the sibling rivalry that has seen Peyton win the previous two matchups when he was a member of the Indianapolis Colts. Denver is coming off a 49-27 dismantling of the reigning Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. The Broncos were already among the prohibitive favorites to come out of the AFC this season and did little to quell such lofty expectations behind Peyton Manning's record-tying seven-touchdown performance. The Giants, meanwhile, stumbled through a mistake-filled 36-31 loss at Dallas that featured six turnovers, including three interceptions by Eli Manning. Still, he passed for 450 yards and four TDs and had New York in position for the victory until he was picked off with under two minutes to play. TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Broncos -4.5. O/U 55. ABOUT THE BRONCOS (1-0): Denver erased a three-point deficit with a spectacular second-half performance as Peyton Manning threw for five of his seven scoring passes and finished with 462 yards overall. Free-agent signee Wes Welker had nine catches for 67 yards and two TDs in his Broncos debut and athletic tight end Julius Thomas added another electrifying dimension to an already high-powered attack with five receptions for 110 yards and two scores. The run game remains in flux but the defense had four sacks and two interceptions despite the absences of Pro Bowlers Von Miller (suspension) and Champ Bailey (foot). ABOUT THE GIANTS (0-1): New York has serious concerns about its running game after starter David Wilson lost two fumbles and was benched and backup Da'Rel Scott was injured, necessitating the signing of former Giants back Brandon Jacobs. New York's receiving corps showed it has the requisite firepower to keep up with the Broncos, getting three touchdown receptions from Victor Cruz and five catches and over 100 yards each from Cruz (118), Hakeem Nicks (114) and Rueben Randle (101) despite the slew of turnovers. The Giants could be shorthanded in the defensive backfield after cornerback Prince Amukamara suffered a concussion versus Dallas. EXTRA POINTS 1. The Broncos are riding a 12-game regular-season winning streak, the longest in the NFL. 2. Eli Manning has thrown for 12 TDs and the Giants have averaged 44 points in winning their last three home games. 3. Welker has 20 catches in his last two regular-season games versus New York. PREDICTION: Broncos 37, Giants 34
Much has been said and written about the two talented Manning brothers. Older brother Peyton Manning started this season with an electrifying 49-27 victory against the Baltimore Ravens. He managed to score a jaw dropping 7 touchdowns and silence all the critics that have speculated his age would hinder his abilities this season. Little brother Eli Manning had a contrastingly different first game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The Cowboys forced 6 turnovers against the young Manning. The first of which came with an interception by DeMarcus Ware in the very first seconds of the game. The game ended with the Cowboys beating the Giants 36-31. Cowboys force six turnovers to ride into a 36-31 Victory over Eli Manning and Giants Brandon Carr and the Dallas Cowboys are serious about forcing turnovers. They needed six to put away Eli Manning and the New York Giants. Carr returned an interception 49 yards for the clinching touchdown, and the Cowboys overcame a big night from Manning to beat him for the first time at their fancy $1.2 billion stadium in a 36-31 victory Sunday night. Tony Romo shook off hits to the ribs that knocked him out for the final Dallas play of the first half and threw a pair of touchdown passes to Jason Witten. Manning threw three touchdown passes to Victor Cruz and four overall, and he had New York in position for a comeback victory despite the flurry of mistakes. But with the Giants trailing 30-24, Manning's pass went off the hand of running back De'Rel Scott into Carr's arms. The cornerback beat Manning down the sideline with 1:50 left for Dallas' second defensive touchdown. Barry Church returned a fumble 27 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. ''It's infectious. It's contagious,'' Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. ''We challenged them at halftime. We had three, let's get three more.'' The Cowboys had only 16 turnovers all last year, switched to a four-man front with new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and swore all preseason that taking the ball away was the foremost thing on their minds. They proved it from the first snap of the season. DeMarcus Ware intercepted Manning's first pass, and the Giants turned it over on their first three possessions. The Cowboys didn't take advantage of the early gifts, but built a big enough lead to hold off a New York comeback once the Giants finally stopped turning it over. It matched the most turnovers for the Giants since 1987, when they had seven against New Orleans. And it was the most Dallas has forced since 2003. ''Just tells you our system is so much built on attitude,'' said defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, who was defensive coordinator for Chicago last year when the Bears led the NFL with 44 turnovers. ''We had a lot of guys play tonight who jumped in and helped us. It's just team defense.'' Church scored on the fourth New York turnover - the second fumble from new starting running back David Wilson, who lost control of the ball on a strip by Nick Hayden just before hitting the ground. Church scooped up the ball and ran it in. The Cowboys went up 27-10 in the third quarter after the fifth miscue - a punt that bounced and hit Trumaine McBride while he was trying to block for the return. Rookie Devonte Holloman won a scramble for the loose ball, and Romo threw a 4-yard scoring pass to Witten. ''I just think it's pretty exciting to see what our team defensively has been able to do here, in training camp, preseason and into the season,'' Romo said. When the mistakes stopped, the Giants made it a game again. New York went 80 yards, capped by Cruz's second score on an 18-yard pass, and Cruz scored again from the 10 to pull the Giants to 30-24 midway through the fourth quarter. New York got the ball back, but the Cowboys forced a quick punt. After Dallas again failed to move the ball, Carr came through with the clinching interception. ''You're not going to win the game turning the ball over five times and muffing a punt,'' Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. ''I'm totally, totally disappointed, embarrassed about that football. That's sloppy, sloppy football.'' The Giants scored with 11 seconds left on Manning's fourth touchdown, a 4-yarder to Brandon Myers. But Dallas recovered an onside kick. Manning was 27 of 42 for 450 yards and had three 100-yard receivers in Cruz (five catches, 118 yards), Hakeem Nicks (five for 114) and Rueben Randle (five for 101) Romo was 36 of 49 for 263 yards, and Miles Austin had 10 catches for 72 yards. Witten, who had only three touchdowns last year, had eight grabs for 70 and became the third tight end in NFL history with 9,000 yards receiving. DeMarco Murray had 86 yards rushing for Dallas. Romo threw a 15-yard TD pass to Witten before halftime, and Dan Bailey also had two field goals (30 and 38 yards) by then for a 13-10 lead. In the final minute of the first half, Romo was hit in the ribs and had the wind knocked out after being crushed between Mathias Kiwanuka and Justin Trattou after throwing an incompletion. Kyle Orton came on to finish the half, but Romo was back after halftime. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Romo didn't receive any treatment, and that the medical staff cleared him to play. ''One tough player, one tough man,'' Jones said. ''He will go out and play in pain and play hurt.'' After Manning's second interception, this one by new Cowboys safety Will Allen, Dallas had third-and-11 at the Giants 14. Romo threw a pass toward rookie Terrance Williams that instead deflected off the Giants' Prince Amukamara into the arms of New York teammate Ryan Mundy, who raced 91 yards. He was caught from behind by Murray at the 1. GAME NOTES: The crowd of 85,348 was significantly smaller than the NFL regular-season record crowd of 105,121 that watched the first Giants game at the stadium in its 2009 debut. ... Giants CB Prince Amukamara was knocked out of the game with a concussion after a helmet-on-helmet collision with S Ryan Mundy, who was cleared to return.
The New York Giants had the best press release of the year when the team decided to all go bowling together. Yesterday, they faced Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts who were not impressed with their colorful bowling shoes and defeated the Giants 20-12 in the preseason game. We love sports in large part because of the uncertainty. It isn't scripted, and we can never be sure how it's going to turn out. Andrew Luck is one of the rare cases of something being interesting because we know precisely how the story is going to end. Luck is everything he was made out to be coming out of Stanford. The Colts quarterback is practically a lock to be a great player. Everyone can see that. And following his maturation into being that great player is going to be fascinating. Luck has looked very good in the preseason as he prepares for his second season. In the preseason opener last week, he was 4-of-6 for 51 yards in limited work. Against the Giants he played one quarter, and one drive into the second quarter. He went 9-of-13 for 107 yards and two touchdowns, and when he took a seat the Colts led 17-3. If someone said that, in about five months, Luck would be universally acknowledged as a top three NFL quarterback, would you be that surprised? He had some things to work on after a very good rookie season, and looks much better in year two. He still has the athletic ability and the big arm, and in very brief preseason work it's obvious this familiar offense fits him well. Last season Luck worked in Bruce Arians' vertical offense, and attempted more passes of 20 or more yards (101) than any other quarterback, according to Pro Football Focus. Joe Flacco was second with 92, and only five quarterbacks in all attempted more than 80. And Luck was good on those deep throws, completing 35 (his receivers had eight drops, too). But he had six interceptions (only Drew Brees had more on deep passes, with seven), and the heavy vertical attack also helps explain his 54.1 completion percentage. Not that he didn't do very well in that offense – he threw for 4,374 yards and led the Colts, who were 2-14 the year before, to a very surprising playoff berth. Now with Pep Hamilton as offensive coordinator, Luck is running the same offense he did at Stanford. Mainly because Hamilton was Luck's offensive coordinator during the quarterback's final season at Stanford. In the Colts' two preseason games it's easy to see that Luck will be asked to complete a lot of high-percentage throws. He looks comfortable and confident. His completion percentage should skyrocket. It's 68.4 percent this preseason. His interceptions probably will go down, although he did get lucky Sunday night when Giants cornerback Aaron Ross dropped one on a play that Reggie Wayne eventually hauled in for a circus touchdown catch. Luck performed admirably in a new offense last year, but he seems like a perfect fit in Hamilton's scheme that has plenty of West Coast elements. Luck's physical ability is special, even among NFL quarterbacks, and he showed it off against the Giants. His 18-yard touchdown throw to T.Y. Hilton on third and 11 was made with pinpoint accuracy right over the cornerback – and was also a very athletic catch by a rapidly emerging Hilton. His best play against the Giants was probably an incompletion. He rolled left, then contorted his body to deliver a perfect strike downfield between two Giants defenders to tight end Coby Fleener. Fleener dropped the throw. It was still a jaw-dropping pass. Andrew Luck is turning out to be a savior for the Indianapolis Colts
Reggie Wayne recently made headlines when he said the way Andrew Luck approaches practice is a lot like Peyton Manning. Practice does make perfect but what really counts is how a QB performs come game time. Who better to put Andrew Luck to the test than Peyton's brother Eli Manning. Bet on the New York Giants vs Indianapolis Colts.
Today's Prime Time Preseason NFL game is between the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Two teams vying to reclaim their top positions and come out on top. Prime Wagers examines all the details you need to know for this matchup before you place your wager. Bet on Steelers-Giants 08/10/13 Two of the NFL's elite franchises take on each other in a preseason game. The New York Giants (2012: 9-7 SU, 7-9 ATS) are looking to bounce back from last year's swoon. They did have the same record that they had in 2011 when they won the Super Bowl. The Pittsburgh Steelers (2012: 8-8 SU, 6-9-1 ATS) also missed the playoffs last year. They are 28-1 odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Giants are 22-1. The Giants visit Heinz Field on Saturday night to take on the Steelers from Pittsburgh at 7:30pmET. Pittsburgh opened as a -3-point betting odds favorite and moved to -2 in most books. The total opened at 35.5 and remained there in most books. Brown and Wilson battle for starting running back The New York Giants had a decent running attack last year, as they ranked 14th in the league with 116.4 yards per game. Ahmad Bradshaw is gone and the Giants will go younger with speedy David Wilson and Andre Brown. Wilson is the more explosive back, while Brown provides the power. He had eight touchdowns in 10 games last year. The defense is the main concern for the Giants as DE/OLB Justin Tucker and DE Jason Pierre-Paul is recovering from back surgery. The Giants drafted Damontre Moore in the third round and he'll play alongside another rookie in Johnathan Hankins, a second-rounder from Ohio State. The Giants ranked 25th last year against the run, so they need better play up front. Both young players have been very impressive in camp. With Eli Manning taking a series or two, expect the Giants to get a long look from rookie Ryan Nassib, the fourth-round pick from Syracuse. Key Injuries
NY Giants: - DE Justin Tuck (back) is out.
- DE Jason Pierre-Paul (back) is out.
Pittsburgh: - WR Plaxico Burress (shoulder) is out indefinitely.
- TE Heath Miller (knee) is out indefinitely.
- LB Sean Spencer (knee) is out indefinitely.
Steelers looking for a Prime Comeback The days of Jerome Bettis are over. Rashard Mendenhall is now playing in Arizona. The Steelers have always been a run-first team but last year they ranked an atrocious 26th (96.1 yards per game) on the ground. They drafted Le'Veon Bell from Michigan State to help with the running game. Bell is a big back with good feet but he's not considered a powerful runner. He'll get every chance to win the job from Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman. He'll work with the starters on Saturday. The Steelers also changed their backup quarterbacks around as they brought in Bruce Gradkowski to back up Ben Roethlisberger, who played with an injured shoulder and rib last season. Defensively, Pittsburgh needs to get younger as linebacker James Harrison and nose tackle Casey Hampton are gone. Safety Troy Polamalu can't seem to stay healthy. Outside linebacker Jarvis Jones is the prototypical player for their 3-4 scheme. Rookie Shamarko Thomas is a big hitting safety who the Steeler took in the fourth round that could eventually replace Polamalu. Weather: Kickoff temperature: 73. Northeast wind 7-9. QB Rotations New York Giants Eli Manning David Carr Ryan Nassib (R) Curtis Painter Pittsburgh Ben Roethlisberger Bruce Gradkowski Landry Jones (R) John Parker Wilson Oh, the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers also have a very sexy female fan club that includes the hot Jessica Alba. Check them out!
Fans have gone through great lengths to show their support for their NFL team in the past. Tehmeena Afzal goes the distance in this Sexy Giants Fan Tribute clip. She is in nothing but body paint and is seen burning Patriots QB Tom Brady's jersey. Can her NY Giants beat the Pittsburgh Steelers tomorrow night?
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