In Giants.com's "Top 5" series, we rank the best games, plays and moments from the 2016 season. Here are the Top 5 Catches of 2016:
ODELL LEAPS OVER DEFENDER FOR GOAL-LINE SCORE
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Opponent: Philadelphia Eagles
Date: November 6, 2016 (Week 9)
Location: MetLife Stadium
On second-and-goal at the 1, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. made a move on cornerback Leodis McKelvin and found enough room for Eli Manning to hit him with a pass. Beckham jumped, caught the ball, and was able to keep both feet in bounds as McKelvin pushed him out of the back of the end zone.
The Giants took a 21-10 lead with 9:28 left in the first half en route to a 28-23 victory, snapping a four-game losing streak to the rival Eagles.
KING COMES UP CLUTCH
Opponent: Washington Redskins
Date: January 1, 2017 (Week 17)
Location: FedEx Field
Playing against a Washington team fighting for its postseason hopes, wide receiver Tavarres King delivered a blow with a 44-yard reception down the left sideline. The perfect pass from Manning moved the offense down to the Redskins 25 and set up Robbie Gould's go-ahead field goal from 40 yards with 2:17 left in the game. Entering the regular-season finale, King had just one reception for 6 yards.
SHEPARD GRABS 1ST NFL TD
Opponent: Dallas Cowboys
Date: September 11, 2016 (Week 1)
Location: AT&T Stadium
On third-and-3 at the Cowboys 9, Manning lofted a ball in the end zone to rookie Sterling Shepard, who made a terrific catch over two defenders for his first NFL touchdown. The play gave the Giants a 13-9 lead with seven seconds remaining in the first half. Big Blue went on to win the season opener, and Shepard caught eight touchdowns for the season, second only to New Orleans' Michael Thomas (nine) among all rookies.
CRUZ-ING TO VICTORY
Opponent: New Orleans Saints
Date: September 18, 2016 (Week 2)
Location: MetLife Stadium
Wide receiver Victor Cruz had only 39 receptions in his return campaign, but he made all of them count. After catching the go-ahead score in Dallas the week before, Cruz hauled in a 34-yard pass from Manning down the right sideline for one of the best catches of his storied career. The play set up a first-and-goal at the 2 and the game-winning field goal as time expired.
ODELL SNAGS TD WITH LEFT HAND
Opponent: Detroit Lions
Date: December 18, 2016 (Week 15)
Location: MetLife Stadium
On third-and-1 at the Lions 4, Manning fired a pass to Beckham at the sticks with under six minutes remaining in the game and the Giants holding onto a four-point lead. Beckham plucked the ball with his left hand while moving to his right and was able to reach over the goal line for a score. The touchdown propelled the Giants to a 17-6 victory, their second in a row over a division leader after defeating Dallas the week before.
