WEEK IN REVIEW
The Giants pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the week, taking down the Seattle Seahawks 17-12. Their stout defense was able to contain Seattle’s explosive offense with James Bradberry keeping DK Metcalf in check and Leonard Williams dominating on the defensive line. Bradberry had some of the most impressive one-on-one coverage snaps of the entire season. The Giants struck gold with that free agent signing.
Colt McCoy did an admiral job filling in for the injured Daniel Jones, but Wayne Gallman was the heart of the offense on Sunday. Gallman totaled 135 rushing yards, including a long run of 60 yards. The more impressive stat was that 45 of Gallman’s yards, equal to 33% of his production, came after contact. Gallman is running with great rhythm right now, and he is allowing the Giants to control the clock and keep their games close.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
The Giants have, so far, delayed naming a starting quarterback for their upcoming matchup with the Arizona Cardinals. Daniel Jones was spotted on the practice field and was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday. While Colt McCoy did a serviceable job filling in for Jones this week, the offense definitely lacked some explosion. Evan Engram led the team with a mere 32 receiving yards for the entire game.
The Giants now lead the NFC (L)East thanks to their tiebreaker with Washington and have a ton of. Momentum following Sunday’s victory in Seattle. They’ve become a very well-rounded team. The defense boasts one of the largest defensive lines in the league partnered with a secondary that is performing well above their pay grade. The offensive line is finding more cohesion every week, which is resulting in more holes for Wayne Gallman. If Daniel Jones can recover and bring some rhythm to the passing game, this could be a team to reckon with in the first round of the playoffs.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The Giants opened the week as 2.5-point home underdogs with the Arizona Cardinals coming to town. These are two teams headed in opposite directions. The Giants have won four consecutive games, taken the division lead, and are playing the best football they have in multiple seasons. Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals have lost four of their last five and their offensive-dependent team is sputtering.
The close spread coupled with a 45.5 Over/Under indicates that this game could go either way. It’s a strength-against-strength matchup between the Cardinals’ explosive offense and the Giants’ impressive defense. Inconsistencies on the Cardinals’ offensive line have been one of the largest reasons for their struggles and with the Leonard Williams and the rest of the defensive line coming off a performance like the one they just had in Seattle, they could provide a tough challenge for Kyler Murray. This game will serve as another great litmus test to see how the Giants can fare versus another playoff-caliber opponent.
