New York Giants: Danny Dimes will have to do it on his own
While he has settled into his starting role nicely, things will get much harder for New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones will be without many of his offensive weapons Thursday night against New England.
Coming off a loss against Minnesota, in a game the New York Giants could have really used, the last thing this team needed was a short week. The G-Men ere already without Saquon Barkley, who despite making a strong effort, will still be out of action with the high ankle sprain he suffered against Tampa Bay two weeks ago. Joining him on the sidelines Thursday night will be several of Big Blue’s other offensive weapons, Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram, and Wayne Gallman.
It’s not just that the team is without three starters on offense, but they are playing the toughest defense in the league at home. New England has given up the fewest total points and also allows the least amount of points per game. Not exactly a confidence boost for a rookie quarterback coming off his first NFL loss and playing his first primetime game.
Last week when Gallman, serving as Barkley’s backup, came out of the contest the New York Giants chose to abandon the run game and put the pressure all on Daniel Jones‘ right arm. They put up 211 yards of total offense and were outgained by Minnesota running back Dalvin Cook, who had 218 total yards.
Eli Penny and Rutgers rookie Jon Hilliman will share running back responsibilities on Thursday. Rookie wide receiver Darius Slayton, who scored the team’s only touchdown last week, will be asked to step up in a major way. The plethora of injuries could also lead to a coming-out game for Golden Tate who made his season debut Sunday after serving a four-game suspension. He was barely involved in the offense last week (three receptions for 13 yards), but things could change because the team doesn’t have many other options.
Even with a fully healthy roster, the Giants were huge underdogs to New England. The Pats have been that good this season and the Giants’ defense is still missing in action. It would take some real heroics from Jones to pull off this upset, but he does have someone he can ask about improbable upsets over Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the Patriots.