NEW YORK GIANTS (1-0) @ ST. LOUIS RAMS (0-1)
1:00 PM
FOX
THE GAME
The Giants won the opening game of the 2008 NFL season against Washington 16-7 as their defense looked solid once again while their offense what somewhat inconsistent. The Rams on the other hand were embarrassed in the first game of their season as they were blown out in Philadelphia, 38-3.
New York has not lost a road game since Week 1 of 2007 at Dallas and will look to improve their record to 2-0. St. Louis will try to get a big win for their home crowd and show the rest of the league that they are better than their Week 1 performance.
INJURIES
NEW YORK
LB Jonathan Goff (back) – PROBABLE
DE Mathias Kiwanuka (ankle) – PROBABLE
DE Jerome McDougle (knee) – PROBABLE
CB R.W. McQuarters (calf) – QUESTIONABLE
CB Terrell Thomas (hamstring) – OUT
K Lawrence Tynes (knee) – OUT
ST. LOUIS
WR Donnie Avery (knee) – PROBABLE
DE James Hall (thigh) – PROBABLE
RB Travis Minor (thigh) – PROBABLE
P Donnie Jones (knee) – PROBABLE
G Jacob Bell (hamstring) – QUESTIONABLE
DE Leonard Little (hamstring) – DOUBTFUL
WR Drew Bennett (foot) – OUT
HOW THE GIANTS CAN WIN
A lot of people think the Giants just showing up to St. Louis for the game gives them the win. And while that might be true given the Rams Week 1 performance and the fact that their defense is among the worst in the league, the Giants still have to play good football. There are a lot of doubters out there who have yet to give the Giants credit for being an elite team this season and many think there is no shot of them defending their championship. But that is probably coming from the same people who thought they had no shot of winning a championship to begin with. The G-Men need to score early and often against the Rams and try to copy the score of the game between St. Louis and Philadelphia last week, so the critics won’t continue to hype up the Eagles and see that they are not better than the New York Football Giants. Run to pass should be the Giants plan as giving carries to Brandon Jacobs will open up the field for Plaxico Burress and he can have another big week. The defense needs to keep an eye on Steven Jackson and not allow him to create a big play. The game is there for the Giants to win. Now they just need to play a full 60 minutes of football.
HOW THE RAMS CAN WIN
The St. Louis Rams are going to show up for this game. It’s their home opener and after they were talked about for the past week as an embarrassment to the league, there is no way they can’t show up. I am not sure it is possible to turn a horrible defense into even a decent one in one week’s time, but the Rams will try and they will try to keep the score reasonable. The only way they can win is if their entire offense has a big game. The Giants are going to score just because of the Rams defense, so it is the job of the offense to match those points and keep the Rams within one or two possessions of the lead come the fourth quarter. Marc Bulger is going to have to step it up and find a way around the pass rush and keep the drives alive for the Rams and Steven Jackson is going to have take control of the field when he is given the ball. It won’t be easy and it might not be possible, but this is the Rams Super Bowl for the 2008 season and they are going to need everyone to be on their game.
PREDICTION
I believe the Giants are an 11 or 12 (and maybe even more if things go right) win team this season. A lot of people would disagree and put them in the 9 or 10 win category, making them a wild card contender, and a bubble team. Up until they play Pittsburgh, the Giants have an easy schedule, and this game is part of that easy schedule. The Giants need this win to stay on pace to clinch a playoff berth and control their own destiny and not have to worry later in the season about who has to lose or head-to-head records for tiebreakers. Given how good the Giants are and how bad the Rams are mixed with the fact that the Giants on the road is basically a guaranteed victory, I can’t see the Giants leaving St. Louis tomorrow anything but 2-0.
Giants 31, Rams 10