New York Giants: Madden 19 predicts OT thriller against Texans

Is it too early for fans to allow their frustrations to boil over regarding the New York Giants performances in the first two weeks of the season?

Considering that the New York Giants are off to an underwhelming 0-2 start and failing to establish any semblance of team chemistry, especially on the offensive side of the ball, I would say fan impatience is warranted.

Yet, as we reach back into our closets to retrieve and equip our G-Men gear that we so angrily tossed into the pile of forgotten threads last Sunday night at the conclusion of last week’s debacle in Dallas, we ready ourselves with the hope and promise that the team can achieve redemption.

After all, 0-3 is just not an option. It’s an inescapable nightmare—the NFL’s equivalent to a death sentence for playoff dreams.

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If you don’t believe that, just know there have been 173 teams since 1980 who have started their season 0-3. Only five of those clubs have gone on to make the postseason.

If the New York Giants fall this weekend to the Houston Texans, it will be a season akin to Christopher Nolan’s 2012 superhero blockbuster, Dark Knight Rises, when Bane buried Batman within the depths of his hell-on-earth prison.

Escaping the hole is possible but highly unlikely.

Fear not, Gothamites! Madden 19 is here, once again, to give us their prediction and a clue to the Giants chances this weekend as they’ll try for their second attempt in as many weeks to grab a win in Texas.

The Deshaun Watson-led Texans are just as desperate searching for their first victory of 2018, so expect this contest to be a complete dogfight from start to finish.

Who will avoid that 0-3 prison hole, and who will be left behind to face it?

Let ring the chant from the captives left behind in that memorable Dark Knight scene for these two teams set to do battle with the stakes high. “Deshi Basara!” (translated: “Rise up”).

Passing stats

• Eli Manning –  22/46, 289 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 59.1 QBR
• Deshaun Watson – 20/42, 257 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 73.2 QBR

If you perused social media and Twitter immediately after the game against the Dallas Cowboys last weekend, you saw the usual commentary regarding Manning, his performance, and his future with the team.

As expected, the talking heads and armchair quarterbacks of the world took the time to blame him for the offense’s consistent failure to move the ball. Manning has not been impressive thus far this season, but he is far from being the main problem.

The G-Men’s offensive line struggled with basic blocking assignments and just looked downright flustered and confused by Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett’s masterful defensive gameplan.

The bad news for the New York Giants is that things won’t get easier at the line of scrimmage. They’ll have to figure out a way to stop three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt and two-time Pro Bowler Jadeveon Clowney.

Good luck, Ereck Flowers and company.

The Giants have recently signed running-back-turned-full-back, Elijhaa Penny, to help out as a pass-blocker after Shane Smith’s disastrous showing in Week 2, which ultimately led to his release. That should help Manning though Madden has him held out of the end-zone through the air with a completion percentage of below 50.

He is also predicted to be sacked a whopping four times by the Texans pass-rushers. It will be a long afternoon for the 15-year veteran.

Rushing stats

New York Giants:

• Saquon Barkley – 26 carries, 108 yards
• Jonathan Stewart – 10 carries, 33 yards, 1 TD

Houston Texans:

• Lamar Miller – 18 carries, 53 yards
• Alfred Blue – 4 carries, 21 yards

The Giants offense ran through Saquon Barkley in Week 2 as he led the team in both rushing and receiving yards, breaking the Giants single-game receptions mark in the process with 14 catches for 80 yards.

Head coach Pat Shurmur decides to get the rookie more involved between the tackles this time instead of relying on him in meaningless third-and-long, check-down scenarios that had fans pulling their hair out last week.

As if we aren’t sick enough of hearing bad news this early into the season, the Giants will be without their starting center, Jon Halapio, for the rest of 2018 after he broke his ankle during last Sunday’s loss.

Utility lineman John Greco will get the call in Halapio’s place.

For fantasy owners who own a share of Barkley, don’t get mad at Madden for predicting that Jonathan Stewart will vulture him at the goal-line for the one-yard score in the second quarter of this one.

You knew that would happen at some point.

Receiving stats

New York Giants:

• Odell Beckham Jr. – 8 receptions, 82 yards
• Cody Latimer – 5 receptions, 62 yards
• Sterling Shepard – 3 receptions, 50 yards
• Saquon Barkley – 3 receptions, 55 yards 
• Evan Engram – 2 receptions, 31 yards

Houston Texans:

• Ryan Griffin – 7 receptions, 106 yards, 1 TD
• Bruce Ellington – 5 receptions, 70 yards
• Lamar Miller – 3 receptions, 27 yards, 1 TD
• DeAndre Hopkins – 3 receptions, 37 yards
• Will Fuller V – 2 receptions, 17 yards

It only makes sense that if Manning is to struggle in this one, then the New York Giants receives will follow suit.

Odell Beckham Jr. is still searching for his first touchdown of the season and his first since 2017’s Week 5 contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. Last time he found pay dirt he celebrated by performing CPR on the football followed by theatrically ripping his heart out and injecting it into the air-filled piece of pigskin to give it, and the Giants, new life.

Unfortunately, Madden is not expecting his scoreless drought to end this week, though, the scores are coming soon for OBJ. He is way too talented to be kept out of the promised land for much longer.

As for the Texans receiving corp, the most interesting prediction is that stud wideout DeAndre Hopkins is projected to record just three receptions for 37 yards and no scores. Will Fuller V is also expected to be held to just two catches for 17 yards.

Considering the Giants will be without corner Eli Apple this week, Madden may have seriously miss-forecasted those numbers.

Apple’s absence is sure to hurt, especially since he has been playing well so far this year. Corners B.W. Webb and Donte Deayon are expected to step up in his place while Janoris Jenkins receives the burden of shadowing Hopkins all over the field Sunday.

Total team stats

New York Giants:

• Total offense: 435 yards
• Total team: 464 yards
• Rushing: 146 yards
• Passing: 289 yards
• Turnovers: 1
• Penalties: 4-18
• Time of Possession: 16:14* 

Houston Texans:

• Total offense: 331 yards
• Total team: 349 yards
• Rushing: 74 yards
• Passing: 257 yards
• Turnovers: 1
• Penalties: 6-45
• Time of Possession: 11:40*

(*Madden 19 simulation runs six-minute quarters for the most realistic stat outputs)

It’s crucial for the Giants to sustain drives and keep the dangerous Watson off the field for as long as they can.

In order to do that, they’ll have to be a heck of a lot more efficient on third down than they were last week. Against Dallas, the Giants went 8-for-17 on third-down conversions. For the season, they are tied 11th with the Kansas City Chiefs posting a 40 percent success rate, per ESPN.com.

They were able to keep their penalties to a minimum last Sunday committing just three for 24 yards. The sacks were a killer as Eli was brought to the ground six times surrendering a total of 59 yards.

If that trend continues, the Giants won’t have a chance to pull off the upset in Week 3 already listed as six-point underdogs as of Sept. 21, 2 p.m. EDT, per OddsShark.

A clean and efficient box score is the first step if the team wants any shot at stealing one on the road.

Final

The last time the New York Giants and Houston Texans met during the regular season was in 2014 and, coincidentally, in Week 3.

Former head coach Tom Coughlin and his crew faced a similar situation trying to avoid a 0-3 hole while the Texans were undefeated behind no other than this season’s unlikeliest hero, Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The game was no contest, as New York shredded Houston’s defense for a team total of 419 yards en-route to a 30-17 shellacking at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Times have certainly changed, but Madden has not forgotten that the Giants are a stingy bunch when their backs are against the wall.

This one is predicted to go the distance and then some with Manning converting a couple of crucial fourth downs to set the Giants up with an Aldrick Rosas 21-yard field goal to force overtime.

Before the NFL has its record third tie in as many weeks to start the year, Rosas delivers again with a miraculous 51-yarder inside of two minutes to give the G-Men their first win of 2018.

Deshi Basara!

New York Giants 23, Houston Texans 20