*The New York Giants desperately needed a win in Week 3. They got one in a convincing 30-17 takedown of the Houston Texans. Here's what you need to know: *
- The Giants' offensive stars stepped up. Eli Manning had his second straight solid game, Victor Cruz topped 100 yards, and Rashad Jennings went for 174 yards as New York moved the ball all day. Extra credit goes to Jennings, who would not go down on first contact. Jennings took the game over after the Texans ripped off 10 straight points in the third quarter.
- New York's passing attack is taking shape. Manning made good decisions and didn't miss many throws. The Giants' offense actually left points on the field when Larry Donnell fumbled one catch in the red zone, and the Giants had a bad snap on a field goal. A drop also ruined a pretty Manning pass that could have kept a drive going. In short: Manning has turned things around.
- The bad Ryan Fitzpatrick finally showed up. He had two interceptions at halftime, and only 23 yards passing. He was frenetic when pressure was around him, which was often. Jason Pierre-Paul didn't show much in the box score, but he applied a lot of heat.
- Victor Cruz doesn't have great long speed. He was caught from behind on a 61-yard grab. But he still has terrific footwork and quickness, which he used to make defenders miss on a 26-yard score. Cruz took a lot of criticism all week and responded.
- The absence of Arian Foster was not the reason why the Texans lost. His replacement Alfred Blue looked quite good on his 13 carries for 78 yards.
- Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins had the greatest catch in NFL history that didn't count:
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps the Falcons' lopsided win over the Bucs and previews every other game in Week 3.
