X's and O's: Giants 44, Raiders 7

Here is a look at how the Giants did, position by position, against the Raiders.

QUARTERBACKS

Eli Manning led WR Mario Manningham perfectly to the back corner of the end zone for a 30-yard score that gave the Giants a 21-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter. WR Steve Smith was well-covered by CB Chris Johnson, but Manning masterfully placed the ball to Smith’s outside shoulder for a 43-yard gain along Oakland’s sideline in the first quarter. RB Ahmad Bradshaw scored a 19-yard touchdown for a 14-0 Giants lead two plays later. Bottom Line: Manning was nearly perfect for a half.

RUNNING BACKS

RB Ahmad Bradshaw quickly hit a hole through the left side of the line and broke two tackles en route to a 23-yard run late in the first quarter. The Giants took a 21-0 lead four plays later. FB Madison Hedgecock’s block of OLB Ricky Brown near the goal line was instrumental in creating the hole Bradshaw blew through to score a 1-yard touchdown that helped stake the Giants to a 7-0 lead with 6:57 to go in the first quarter. Bottom Line: Bradshaw was tremendous again.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS

WR Hakeem Nicks precisely ran a route between three Oakland defenders in the middle of the end zone to catch a 9-yard pass from Manning that helped put the game away, 28-0, just 2:23 into the second quarter. TE Travis Beckum reached back to catch a Manning pass thrown slightly high and behind him for an 11-yard reception on a first-and-10 play from Oakland’s 43 during the Giants’ first drive of the game. Bottom Line: Nicks, Steve Smith and Mario Manningham all contributed to this win.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Pulling LG Rich Seubert blasted OLB Thomas Howard near the line of scrimmage for one of three key blocks that sprung RB Ahmad Bradshaw for a 17-yard run that got the Giants to Oakland’s 19 in the first quarter. On the next play, RT Kareem McKenzie’s block of OLB Ricky Brown near the point of attack created a lot of the space Bradshaw needed to race untouched for a 19-yard touchdown. Bottom Line: Neither QB was sacked and the Giants rushed for 220 yards.

DEFENSIVE LINE

LDE Justin Tuck beat RT Erik Pears off the edge and stripped the football from QB JaMarcus Russell late in the second quarter. RDE Osi Umenyiora pounced on the ball at Oakland’s 28 to set up the Giants’ fifth touchdown of the first half. Pears overpowered LDE Mathias Kiwanuka to help open the hole RB Michael Bush used to score a 1-yard touchdown with 2:19 to go in the first half. That marked Oakland’s lone score. Bottom Line: They recorded four of the Giants’ six sacks.

LINEBACKERS

MLB Antonio Pierce reacted quickly to QB JaMarcus Russell bolting the pocket and tracked him down near Oakland’s sideline to force a Raiders punt early in the second quarter. Russell gained two yards on a third-and-three play from Oakland’s 25. Bottom Line: They helped limit Oakland to 60 rushing yards.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Blitzing CB Terrell Thomas forced unsuspecting QB JaMarcus Russell to fumble early in the second quarter. DE Justin Tuck recovered the ball at Oakland’s 13 and the Giants went ahead 28-0 three plays later. Later in the second quarter, Thomas recovered on a play on which he was beaten deep by WR Louis Murphy to poke away what would’ve been a 60-yard touchdown pass. Bottom Line: Their receivers caught one pass for two yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS

PR Santana Moss misplayed Shane Lechler’s bouncing punt near the Giants’ 15 late in the second quarter. The ball hit Moss’ helmet, which allowed WR Jonathan Holland to recover the ball at the Giants’ 15. Oakland scored its only touchdown of the day three plays later. CB Kevin Dockery’s illegal block above the waist forced the Giants to start a drive at their own 6 late in the first quarter. P Jeff Feagles dropped each of his three kicks inside Oakland’s 20. Bottom Line: These units didn’t factor much into the outcome.

COACHING

Tom Coughlin’s decision to go for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from Oakland’s 1, rather than settling for a FG try in the first quarter, set the tone early for the blowout. Coughlin also had the right idea in trying to challenge what he thought was a Justin Fargas fumble late in the first half. FS C.C. Brown stripped Fargas, but the play was not reviewable because of the dreaded forward progress rule. Bottom Line: There’s not much to dislike about this 5-0 start.