The NY Giants aim for a fifth consecutive victory, and to extend their lead in the NFC East division race, Sunday afternoon against Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins and the Arizona Cardinals
The NY Giants’ remarkable if unexpected sprint for the playoffs continues Sunday against Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins and the Arizona Cardinals, who arrive at MetLife Stadium looking to right their season and make up ground in the NFC West race.
Can the NY Giants make it two straight wins against the most competitive division in football, after knocking off the double-digit favored Seahawks in Seattle last Sunday?
Here’s a look at four bold predictions for Sunday afternoon’s game that pits one of the NFL’s most potent offenses against a suddenly stingy and opportunistic Giants defense that has now produced a plus-eight turnover margin over the past month:
Kyler Murray rushes for season-high 110 rushing yards
Reading between the lines of Judge’s comments this week, it seems more likely that Daniel Jones is able to play Sunday than Blake Martinez. That is particularly bad news for the Giants’ defense, given this week’s opponent.
If the Giants are forced to rotate rookies Cam Brown and Tae Crowder in place of Martinez, this could be the week that Kyler Murray finds his footing as a runner, after being held to under 35 rushing yards each of the past two games.
Murray is averaging 6.2 yards per rushing attempt this season and rushed for a career-high 10 touchdowns.
Back in Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins, Murray rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts. Sunday’s game looks like it has the potential to be another showcase of Murray’s mobility.
Don’t be surprised if Murray rushes for something in the area of 110 yards and a score, particularly if the Giants’ secondary continues to play at the high level it has the past several weeks.
Giants run for more yards than they pass for
Regardless of whether it is Jones or Colt McCoy at quarterback, it won’t matter, this offense funnels through the running game at this stage.
As sources told me this week, Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett rebuilt the Giants’ offense around RPOs and a power-running scheme that maximizes running back Wayne Gallman’s skill-set prior to the Eagles’ game, and results have certainly exceeded expectations.
Last Sunday, Gallman rushed for a career-high 135 yards, Morris scored a pair of touchdown — one rushing and one receiving — as the Giants took the air out of the football and allowed a burgeoning offensive line to dominantly impose its will at scrimmage in a 17-12 win.
That’s the formula.
During the Giants’ four-game winning streak, the offense has rushed for an average of 162.2 yards per game and passed for 179.5. I think that script flips on Sunday afternoon.
DeAndre Hopkins held out of the end zone
DeAndre Hopkins might be the best wide receiver currently walking the planet, but the Giants might have the ideal cornerback to contain him.
Giants cornerback James Bradberry has traveled against the opponents’ top target throughout this season, with much success. According to Pro Football Focus, Bradberry is the No. 12 rated cover-cornerback in the NFL with a 76.6 coverage grade.
Several other teams have deployed a similar strategy of traveling their best cornerback against Hopkins, including the Los Angeles Rams with Jalen Ramsey last week, as Ramsey held the Cardinals’ receiver to eight catches for 52 yards for a touchdown. The Seahawks kept Hopkins to five catches for 51 yards, and the Dolphins, traveling Byron Jones against him, held Hopkins to three receptions for 30 yards.
Don’t be surprised if Hopkins’ stat line looks something like six receptions for 74 yards and zero touchdowns. It might have to, if the Giants are going to pull out a win …
Dexter Lawrence gets more sacks than Leonard Williams
Dexter Lawrence enters Week 14 with three sacks, a half sack more than he produced as a rookie in 2019, and there’s a reasonable chance that he’ll add to that total.
Because of Murray’s mobility and that he’ll likely be flushed out of the pocket at various times, Lawrence could stand to be the benefactor from pressures off the edge from the likes of Leonard Williams, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Niko Lalos.
Williams is in the midst of the most dominant stretch of football of his career, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be Lawrence who fills up the stat sheet on Sunday.
The pick: Giants 20, Cardinals 16
As the NFC East race tightens, every game from here on out carries significant playoff implications, particularly after the Washington Football Team allowed the 1972 Miami Dolphins to pop their champagne last Monday night.
The Giants need this game as much or more than the Cardinals do, but have a couple of key factors in their favor:
- They’re the hotter team, riding a four-game winning streak as the Cardinals in the midst of a three-game losing streak having lost four of their last five games.
- They’re at home on the east coast, somewhere the Cardinals have won just once this season, against the Jets.
If the Giants are able to play their game, ground and pound on offense while playing keep away from Murray, Hopkins, and Christian Kirk on offense, they’re going to wind up walking off the field with their fifth victory of the season. If this becomes a shootout, look out, because I’m not convinced the Giants can score more than 27 points. I don’t think that’s how it plays out. Give me the Giants in a four-point win …
Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL.