Coming off a brutal loss to the Broncos this past Sunday, the NY Giants have a chance to get on the right track tonight against the Washington Football Team.
The NY Giants head to the nation’s capital on a short week for its first divisional matchup of the season, in a Thursday night battle against the Washington Football Team.
Both teams ought to be hungry coming off Week 1 losses, as one squad will even up its record at 1-1, while the other will fall to 0-2, a place no team wants to be, as only 10% of teams since 2007 have made the playoffs having been winless through two weeks.
With that being said, there’s reason for optimism as to why the Giants will win tonight. Likewise, there’s also reason believe that the Giants will lose tonight.
Why the NY Giants will win
It was a rough game all-around for the the NY Giants in Week 1, having lost 27-13 at home to the Denver Broncos. However, this is a prime opportunity for head coach Joe Judge and company to right the ship.
For starters, the Giants have had Washington’s number since quarterback Daniel Jones entered the league, winning all four head-to-head meetings. Additionally, they’ve won four of the last five matchups at FedExField.
Another substantial reason: injuries. Ryan Fitzpatrick unfortunately suffered a hip injury in week 1 that landed him on the IR, causing 28-year old Taylor Heinicke to step under center. The practice squad journeyman ended the day 11-for-15 with 122 yards and a touchdown to go along with 17 yards on the ground; nothing to write home about.
The Giants defense will be tasked with stopping Heinicke and the Washington offense, and although the unit struggled against the Teddy Bridgewater and the Broncos, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has shown the ability to make adjustments game-to-game.
In 2020, there were five instances in which the defense allowed 26+ points. In every one of those instances, the defense allowed no more than 20 points in the following game. With a suspect offense on the other side, there’s a good chance week 2 turns into a bounce-back game for Graham’s unit, leading the Giants to a gritty 17-14 win to improve to 1-1.
Why the NY Giants will lose
Last week was ugly. The offense couldn’t move the ball, the defense couldn’t get off the field on 3rd down, and Jones’ late fumble was the cherry on top.
Washington’s defense is scary, although Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers had some success throwing downfield, as the 2020 Rookie of the Year tallied 337 passing yards. Obviously, Jones is not on Herbert’s level, but more importantly, Giants’ offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is miles behind Chargers’ offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, so don’t expect the same kind of results tonight.
Biggest takeaway: Don’t expect the offense to open it up Thursday. Judge emphasized how WFT doesn’t allow explosive plays. Said you have to tick-tick-tick down the field.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) September 14, 2021
The NY Giants offensive line allowed Jones to get sacked twice by Von Miller, but otherwise did a decent job at keeping him upright in the pocket. However, Bradley Chubb was out, which helped relieve some pressure. Washington will have Montez Sweat and Chase Young on the edges and Jonathan Allen on the interior, which won’t bode well for the Giants’ “hog mollies.”
As long as the Giants continue to operate how they’ve been the last two years, Jones will not develop to the level we saw him flash here and there as a rookie. Don’t expect things to change tonight, as Washington may win an ugly one, sending the Giants to 0-2 in a 23-10 defeat.