New York Giants: Madden 19 predicts Week 10 turnaround on MNF

The New York Giants are officially back from their Week 9 bye and just in time for a Monday Night Football matchup against the 2-7 San Francisco 49ers.

Let’s not call this a toilet bowl matchup for the 1-7 New York Giants just because they are facing an opponent with a record one win better than theirs. Surprisingly, both teams have a lot on the line, and no, it’s not about who will get better draft position in 2019.

We last left off our Madden 19 series of predictions wondering if anyone else on the G-Men’s roster would be sent packing before the Oct. 30 trade deadline along with superstar defensive tackle Damon Harrison and cornerback Eli Apple.

Instead, GM Dave Gettleman stayed quiet on judgment day hanging onto talent that was speculated to move elsewhere for the rest of 2018’s season.

Head coach Pat Shurmur and Gettleman’s biggest challenge ahead, besides trying to actually win a football game, will be to clear bloated and fiscally irresponsible contracts signed under the previous regime of ex-head coach Ben McAdoo and former-GM Jerry Reese.

Outside linebacker Olivier Vernon and cornerback Janoris Jenkins are highly susceptible to being either traded or cut at some point this offseason. Another former superstar—and believe me, I reluctantly typed the word “former” with a heart not quite ready to admit it—who will be under the microscope from here on out is quarterback Eli Manning.

The 37-year-old, two-time Super Bowl MVP is set to account for an ostentatiously bad $23.2 million cap hit in 2019, per Spotrac. Plenty of people around New York have done the math and know by now that the $17 million savings the franchise would garner if it departs with Manning before June 1 is getting tougher to ignore with each passing week.

So, yes, Week 10’s Monday Night Football matchup may not exactly be deserving of the primetime spotlight over say, New Orleans Saints vs. Cincinnati Bengals, but for the fans brave enough to stick it out thus far, we salute you and ensure you that there are plenty of situations to look out for that will have future implications.

So without further hesitation, let’s see how EA Sports Madden 19 predicts this thing to go down.

Passing stats

• Eli Manning –  20/29, 254 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 119.0 QBR
• Nick Mullens – 26/48, 279 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 76.6 QBR

Is it too early to speculate that this could be the last game Manning ever starts under center for the New York Giants?

It’s not crazy to think so or at least feel concern about the possibility.

Since Shurmur first took the head coaching job in New York, he has been consistent with his message to critics about his feelings toward Manning as the team’s unquestioned starter. But for just how much longer will Shurmur stay true to Eli before he is forced to get a look at potential rookie fourth-rounder, Kyle Lauletta?

Manning will not have an easier opportunity for success for the remainder of the season than against the 49ers and their subpar defense that ranks 24th in the league in points surrendered per game with 26.6, per ESPN stats.

If Eli struggles and he gets outgunned by a still-relatively unknown backup quarterback in Nick Mullens, then it will be nearly impossible for anyone around the Giants organization to keep making excuses for Manning even though it is clear he is far from the only problem on the team’s offense.

Rushing stats

New York Giants:

• Saquon Barkley – 22 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD
• Elijhaa Penny – 11 carries, 36 yards

San Francisco 49ers:

• Matt Breida – 13 carries, 76 yards
• Alfred Morris – 5 carries, 14 yards

What is there left to say about running back Saquon Barkley? A superstar in the making, the No. 2-overall pick of the 2018 draft has proved to be everything Gettleman and co. could have hoped for when they called his name in Dallas this past April.

If there is a downside—and we’re nitpicking here—it’s that Barkley isn’t having consistent success on the ground. Though he has impressively totaled 100 yards or more in seven of the eight games he has played as a pro, he has only eclipsed 100 or more yards on the ground twice this season.

Of course, the odds are stacked against the 21-year-old phenom with the Giants offensive line as bad as it is, but Barkley will have a chance to find daylight against a 49ers defense that has been surrendering over 100 rushing yards per contest through nine games.

Assuming Manning and the rest of the offense can do what they have only been able to accomplish once this season in Week 3 against the Houston Texans and jump out to a multi-score lead, then perhaps Shurmur can grind Barkley on the ground, wear down the opposing defense, control the clock and give Saquon a third 100-yard rushing game of his young career.

Receiving stats

New York Giants:

• Odell Beckham Jr. – 6 rec., 88 yards, 1 TD
• Sterling Shepard – 7 rec., 77 yards 
• Saquon Barkley – 4 rec., 70 yards, 2 TDs
• Evan Engram – 2 rec., 11 yards
• Russell Shepard – 1 rec., 8 yards 

San Francisco 49ers:

• Marquise Goodwin– 8 rec., 115 yards, 1 TD
• George Kittle – 6 rec., 65 yards
• Pierre Garcon – 6 rec., 43 yards. 1 TD
• Matt Breida – 3 rec., 45 yards

It’s been hard to get excited about superstar wideout Odell Beckham Jr. since he and Manning have not been able to get on the same page consistently this year.

Yet, OBJ still ranks sixth in the NFL in total receiving yards with 785 and is tied for fourth in receptions with 61. It’s clear that Shurmur’s game plan is to get one of his biggest weapons the ball as often as possible.

Let’s face it, Beckham is matchup proof, but even for those who believe 49ers corner Richard Sherman still has a good amount left in the tank from his Legion of Boom days with the Seattle Seahawks, Sherman is not a trailing defensive back and excels more in zone than in man coverage.

That should allow both Beckham and Sterling Shepard to see a mix of matchups in scenarios Shurmur sees fit. Madden 19 predicts both wideouts to have a big day combining for over 150 yards and a score.

Now if only tight end Evan Engram can get rolling as well.

Total team stats

New York Giants:

• Total offense: 390 yards
• Total team: 499 yards
• Rushing: 136 yards
• Passing: 254 yards
• Turnovers: 0
• Penalties: 2-15
• Time of Possession: 13:55*

San Francisco 49ers:

• Total offense: 374 yards
• Total team: 387 yards
• Rushing: 95 yards
• Passing: 279 yards
• Turnovers: 1
• Penalties: 5-27
• Time of Possession: 10:05*

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

For New York Giants fans tuning into this one as any good fan is expected to do no matter the circumstances, the hope is not only that the team refrains from performing poorly on primetime television, but that it shows the heart we have been hoping to see for the past eight games.

There will be those who are in full-tank mode hoping the Giants fall in order to get closer and closer to securing that 2019 No. 1-overall pick and a potential future franchise quarterback.

To those of you who feel that way, I’ll say this:

You’re awful… just kidding. But seriously, a quarterback picked No. 1-overall doesn’t ensure a franchise strikes gold, especially, in the QB department assuming Giants brass decides to go that way this spring.

Excluding 2018, here’s a list of the quarterbacks picked inside the first round (with overall selection in parenthesis) in the past five years (2017-2013), per Pro-Football-Reference.com.

• 2017- Mitch Trubisky (2), Patrick Mahomes (10), Deshaun Watson (12)
• 2016- Jared Goff (1), Carson Wentz (2), Paxton Lynch (26)
• 2015- Jameis Winston (1), Marcus Mariota (2)
• 2014- Blake Bortles (3), Johnny Manziel (22), Teddy Bridgewater (32)
• 2013- EJ Manuel (16)

In other words, be a good fan, root hard, wear your team colors proud and worry about the draft order when it counts: on draft day.

Final Score

With postseason hopes almost in the rearview, the New York Giants are using their remaining schedule to evaluate who will be a part of the organization’s rebuild in 2019 when crucial roster decisions need to be made.

There will continue to be a lot of uncertainty surrounding the franchise moving forward, but the good news is, is that Madden 19 predicts fans will be able to escape all of the pressing questions for at least one night. The Giants do something they haven’t done since Week 17 of last season: They lead for an entire game.

Even better, Manning and the offense go out and have a solid performance, which is good enough to put questions about benching Eli for Lauletta to rest. For now…

New York Giants 31, San Francisco 49ers 23