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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted at 11:01 a.m., Sunday, November 16, 2008

NFL: Giants rush for 207 yards against Ravens in win

By TOM CANAVAN
Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Super Bowl champion New York Giants are running over opponents. Not even Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens' league-best rushing defense could avoid becoming the latest victims.

Bruising Brandon Jacobs pounded his way into the end zone on a pair of 1-yard runs and the Giants' league-leading running attack ran for 207 yards — New York's third straight 200-yard game — in a 30-10 victory over the Ravens today.

Aaron Ross iced the game by returning one of his two interceptions 50 yards for a third-quarter touchdown as the Giants (9-1) won their fifth straight game overall, and sixth straight at home.

Lawrence Tynes added a short field goal after a 77-yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw for the final score. Tynes got the nod over veteran John Carney, who was inactive on the windy day despite leading the league with 90 points.

The Ravens came in allowing an average of 65.4 yards. The only good news was they extended their streak of not allowing an individual 100-yard rusher to 29 games. Bradshaw finished with 96 yards on nine carries.

Rookie Joe Flacco threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Le'Ron McClain and Matt Stover added a field goal for the Ravens (6-4), who had a four-game winning streak snapped, including three straight on the road.

The Ravens had scored at least 27 points in their streak, but New York shut down their running game — except for a couple of Flacco scrambles — and only gave them short passes.

New York, which also rushed for 200 yards in wins over Dallas and Philadelphia, scored on its first three possessions for a 20-0 lead.

Jacobs, who had 11 rushes for 73 yards, got it going on the Giants' second play from scrimmage, bouncing a jammed-up run to the outside and going 36 yards down the left side to the Ravens 32.

A 21-yard pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress got the ball to the 15 and Jacobs eventually scored from the 1.

Defensive tackle Fred Robbins set up the second touchdown, blocking Stover's 32-yard field goal attempt. New York took over at the 33, and a 9-yard pass to Domenik Hixon and a crashing 15-yard run by Jacobs in which he knocked over three Ravens got the ball to the 3. He scored two plays later. A bad snap prevented an extra point attempt.

New York went 90 yards for a touchdown the next time it touched the ball. A 15-yard pass to Burress and a pass interference in the end zone against Samari Rolle set up a 1-yard TD pass to tight end Darcy Johnson, his first NFL catch.

Stover hit a 38-yard field goal in the second quarter and Flacco, who was 20-of-33 for 164, avoided a blitz and hit a wide-open McClain to cut the margin to 20-10.

Baltimore had a chance to narrow the margin later in the quarter,but Derrick Mason had a pass go through his hands and it rebounded to Ross, who went untouched down the right sideline.

Flacco had not thrown an interception during the Ravens' winning streak.

Coincidentally, the turnover that iced the game came on the 30th anniversary of "The Fumble," a last-minute turnover that saw New York lose a game it had in hand to Philadelphia.