NY Giants have advantage over Broncos in these key areas

The NY Giants and Denver Broncos are two evenly matched teams, but the GMEN have advantages in some key areas. 

According to WynnBet, the Giants are 2.5 point underdogs at home vs. the Broncos. I still think New York wins it 24-20.

The teams are evenly matched, but I believe the Fighting Joe Judges will win some important matchup battles that will make the difference.

If the NY Giants get off to a 1-0 start for the first time since 2016, it will be because they were the more disciplined, better conditioned, and smarter football team on Sunday.

The NY Giants will also need to DOMINATE some key matchups that they have advantages in. Throughout this article, I will focus on these matchups.

I won’t focus on the advantages Denver has (like Von Miller vs. a shaky offensive line). Of course, the offensive line will have to mitigate a dangerous pass rush that includes Miller and Bradley Chubb. I will instead focus on the areas where the NY Giants can dominate:

Matchup Advantage #1: The NY Giants’ Interior Defensive Lineman vs. the Broncos Interior Offensive Lineman:

LLoyd Cushenberry, the starting center for the Denver Broncos, is one of the worst centers in the NFL. His 40.5 PFF grade ranked dead last among centers in 2020. He allowed 29 pressures last season as a rookie, and he ranked dead last as a run-blocker.

Cushenberry struggled in the Broncos preseason games as well. The LSU product is not strong at the point of attack, and his pad level is usually too high to make any kind of push in the run game.

With the way Patrick Graham likes to move his defensive line around and keep offenses guessing, Cushenberry should see some Danny Shelton, Austin Johnson, Dexter Lawrence, AND Leonard Williams. Even after losing Dalvin Tomlinson in free agency this offseason, the defensive line is still one of the best and deepest positions on the roster.

Also, look out for UDFA rookie Raymond Johnson.

The NY Giants need to take advantage of Cushenberry, and win the matchups vs. the average Bronco guards (Dalton Risner and Graham Glasgow). For the Giants to have a chance this Sunday, they need to generate pressure up the middle and dominate the run inside.