Giants vs Texans: Five Things to Watch

January 27, 2013; Honolulu, HI, USA; NFC wide receiver Victor Cruz of the New York Giants (80) is pushed out of bounds by AFC cornerback Johnathan Joseph of the Houston Texans (24) in the third quarter during the 2013 Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium. The NFC defeated the AFC 62-35. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Giants vs Texans

The game is tomorrow, and GMEN HQ wants you to be prepared. We asked our Lead Staff Writer, James Pennisi, to give us five things to watch as the New York Football Giants go for win number one. To get us started, GIANT James (@bigbluebloggers) tells us to watch out for the Texans monster on defense, J.J. Watt. First, here is a tweet from James concerning his talks with the Enemy at the House of Houston:

1.) J.J. Watt

How will the Giants scheme against J.J. Watt? Oakland kept Watt in check last week with a lot of double teams and chips. The Giants offensive line has been a big issue for the GMEN, but will they learn from the Raiders and be able to stop the man beast that is Watt?

2.) Arian Foster

Can the Giants contain Foster and force Fitzpatrick to throw the ball more than he has this season? With Jon Beason out, the Giants linebackers are weak. The front four will need to do a lot of the heavy lifting if they expect to be successful against Foster. Also, look for Fewell to put a lot of safety help in the box early.

3.) Victor Cruz

Will Victor Cruz wake up from his early season malaise? Cruz already has 5 drops on the season and is playing like the undrafted rookie he used to be, instead of the big play receiver the Giants paid him to be. McAdoo’s offense won’t go anywhere until Cruz turns it around. Fans are getting restless:

4.) Eli Manning’s turnovers

Will Eli finally end his turnover streak? Eli has gone 7 straight games with and 9 of the last 10 with a turnover. The Giants can’t hope to have any chance at winning games if their 20 million dollar quarterback keeps giving the ball to the other team.

5.) Game changing plays

Will somebody finally step on this team and make a huge game changing play? The Giants have forced no turnovers so far this season and are in an 0-2 hole with their backs against the wall. Whether it be a big turnover, a good return, or a long touchdown, the Giants need to do something big to get their confidence back. The earlier, the better.

Giants vs Texans: Conclusion

At 0-2, the NY Giants have a lot more to worry about than simply five things. Namely being the one “W” that they need more than anything, but these five things will help the G-Men in achieving that elusive first win.

James thinks the Giants need to scheme against Watt, contain Foster, turn on the Cruz Control, get Eli to throw to TEAM BLUE and not fumble, while the Giants finally create some game changing plays.

Tomorrow, if you’re watching those five things take place, you may also being watching the Giants win. However, if you’re watching the Giants and you don’t see those five things and you just see more of the same… Understand Giants Nation, 0-3 is a very real possibility.

Here’s to the Giants mustering up some “not suck” for this game, because the “genuine suckage” they’ve been using will get them nowhere but to Defeatedville, 0-3, USA.