ANALYSIS : Rams Could Knock Off the Favored Giants on Sunday--and Here’s Why
There are two basic reasons why the Rams (12-5) could knock off the favored New York Giants (12-4) in Sunday’s NFL quarterfinal playoff game at Giants Stadium:
1--The Giants have relied heavily on the running game in the stretch run, and that’s what the Rams’ defense does best--stop the run.
2--The Giants’ once fierce pass rush has turned into a trickle. Given time to throw, Rams quarterback Jim Everett could work over New York’s zone defense.
The Rams loom as an intriguing entry in the NFL’s Final Eight. They nearly swept the season series with the 49ers, winning the first game, 13-12, in San Francisco and losing the second, 30-27, in Anaheim--after holding a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter.
And the Rams have beaten the Giants handily the last two times they played--31-10 in Anaheim this season and 45-31 in the Meadowlands last season.
“I really don’t have to get hit in the face with a skunk three times before I smell it,” Giants Coach Bill Parcells said this week. “I’ve been smelling it pretty regularly against the Rams. We are going to have to do some things differently and hopefully a lot better.”
The Giants’ Week 10 loss to the Rams was noteworthy for the way in which the Giants self-destructed. They were down, 10-3, going into the last two minutes of the first half when the Rams struck twice for touchdowns. Everett hit Aaron Cox for a 51-yard score when strong safety Myron Guyton fell down on the coverage. Dave Meggett fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and one play later Everett hit Flipper Anderson for a 21-yard touchdown. The game went from nip-and-tuck to an avalanche in 14 seconds. The Giants, 8-1 at the time, finished with 6 net yards rushing on 10 carries.
“They gave us a beating, a good licking,” said Giants running back Ottis Anderson, held to 7 yards on nine carries. “But it’s not easy to beat a team twice. I think we’re a lot better team than we were then. We learned patience in that game--not getting out of our game plan when we get down.”
The key for the Giants will be to run the ball often and to win the battle of field position with Meggett and the special teams.
Only Kansas City, with 559 rushing attempts, has run the ball more than the Giants (556) this season. They are 12-0 when rushing for at least 100 yards. And in the last three games, Parcells went primarily to a two-back set with Anderson and fullback Maurice Carthon.
Anderson, 32, achieved his first 1,000-yard season since 1984 but had the lowest average gain--3.1--of any 1,000-yard rusher in league history.
“We want to run it, it’s no secret,” Giants center Bart Oates said. “After the game is over, if you’re looking at the passing column and it’s under 20 (attempts), we will have won the game. If we can accomplish what we set out to do, we’re in control.”
The Rams, meanwhile, are fifth in the league defending the run, with an average of 96.4 yards a game.
Offensively, Everett had great success throwing against the Giants in the last two meetings. He passed for 236 yards and five touchdowns in 1988, and for 295 yards and two scores this season. More concern for the Giants: They have gotten only 12 sacks in their last seven games but have made up for it with strong play in the secondary.