The New York Giants’ resounding win against the Cowboys was more than enough to spark a surge of optimism for a once lost franchise, a team that had been sinking down lower and lower into the NFC East basement. Now, with John Harbaugh as their coach and Jaxson Dart playing one of his best games ever in his young career, they face another primetime test, this one perhaps the most formidable team they will play against the whole season: The Los Angeles Rams, at Sofi Stadium, on Monday Night Football, with all of America watching. This game also holds an interesting statistical value: 77.6% of NFL teams that start the season 2-0 have gone on to make the playoffs since 2020. Conversely, teams that start 0-2 have made the playoffs only 12% of the time since 2002. If the Giants win tonight and the Rams fall to 0-2, it could have drastic playoff implications for both teams. No games are meaningless in the NFL, but this one holds extra value for both teams. If the Giants will be able to capitalize on their momentum from Week 1 and bring it into the Week 2 matchup with the Rams can only be answered once the game is over, but here are a couple of other questions to consider as the Giants head into Week 2 that might hold the keys to victory.
A major concern that will be answered on Monday night is if the Giants are able to hold the Rams to under 100 yards rushing. One of the biggest questions that the Giants face is if they can replicate the success they had against the Cowboys running game and apply it to the Rams offense. They were successful in limiting the Cowboys to only 69 yards throughout the game, but there are no guarantees that it will happen again. The Rams boast a top-5 offensive line and the Giants defense- especially at defensive tackle- remains largely untested, with only one game under their belt so far. RBs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum combined for 21 carries, 95 rushing yards, and a touchdown against a very good 49ers front seven. If the Giants can hold them to around this same stat line, eventually Sean Mcvay will get bored calling run plays and try to open it up with the passing game. This is such an important question since whoever controls the time of possession will likely win, and if the Rams are passing more, they’re not trying to run out the clock. They’ll be passing to get back into the game or because their rushing attack is ineffective, which is exactly what the Giants would want to happen.
Another big question the New York defense faces is whether their pass rush can get home against the Rams. If the Giants run defense can once again be dominant against a very good Rams offensive line and make Sean Mcvay pivot to a pass-first mentality, then the New York edge rushing group will be able to get in many more obvious pass rushing situations. Matthew Stafford’s mobility isn’t the best at age 38, and if the Giants defense can get 3 or more sacks tonight, then it will create a feeling of uncertainty and pressure for Stafford, resulting in him making more bad decisions then he usually does. One interesting thing that the Giants did last game was utilize 4 edge rushers in obvious passing situations, replacing the traditional defensive tackles with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Chauncey Golston, coupled by Brian Burns and Abdul Carter on the outside. They were able to run lots of different stunts with those four on the field, resulting in them getting lots of pressures and QB hits on Dak Prescott. If the defense can get the Rams into third and long situations, the Giants will probably utilize that pass-rushing set a lot more frequently, which will lead to Matthew Stafford feeling harassed in the pocket and unsure of where to throw the ball. The 49ers defense played the Rams last week, and they harassed Stafford for a total of 14 pressures with 8 quarterback hits, in spite of not recording a sack. That resulted in the L.A offense only putting up 7 points. New York should be able to harass Stafford like the 49ers did. They have edge rushers Brian Burns and Abdul Carter, who both generated consistent pressures off the edge and created chaos in the Cowboys backfield. If they could make Stafford feel as uncomfortable as they did with Prescott and get a sack or two, that would result in a much closer game and give the Giants a real chance to win.
A specific part of the offense that Giants fans should look for their team to run early in the game are rapid, easy-to-throw, short play concepts. The quick game is going to be a big factor in how efficient they are passing against the Rams corners. One of the biggest strengths that the Rams have built up this past offseason was their cornerback room; they traded for Trent McDuffie from the Chiefs and signed his teammate Jaylen Watson in free agency. Both of them are highly skilled, and they have great instincts as to where the ball is going. One thing the Giants offense did very well last week was getting the ball out quick; not one of Jaxson Dart’s 22 completions were longer than 19 yards, showing how they were able to capitalize on quick reads and get the ball out faster than the defense could react. Wide receiver Malik Nabers in particular excels at getting out of his break as quickly as possible and getting open for Dart in an amazingly short amount of time. He showcased his ability by catching 6 balls for 69 yards and consistently turning upfield to gain a couple more yards after the catch. Another key will be TE Isaiah Likely. He had an outstanding game last week, and he should present a real mismatch against the Rams defense for Jaxson Dart to exploit once again. The Giants should also look to establish the outside run and get away from defensive lineman Kobe Turner and possibly Aaron Donald on the inside. These two elements of the Giants offense should be the first things they look to establish in the first half of the game. The 49ers offense also had success with this strategy and put up 27 points against the Rams defense, so if the Giants can follow their formula, a victory against a very good Rams team could be much more feasible than people might think.
My name is Chris Jelinski. I’m a sophomore and I play wide receiver for my high school football team. I have a really strong passion for writing and sports. My favorite football team is the New York Giants and I also follow the Knicks and the Yankees. In my free time, I like to read, bake, and spend time with my family.
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