The NY Giants aim to enter the bye week with an upset win over Derek Carr, Darren Waller, and the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9 of the 2021 NFL season
Sunday afternoon, the NY Giants’ offense will once again be limited, but the defense just might have an opportunity for a strong showing against the Las Vegas Raiders.
It has certainly been a tumultuous month for the Raiders, in the aftermath of former head coach Jon Gruden being fired after his vile, misogynistic, racist, and hateful emails were leaked combined with star wide receiver Henry Ruggs being arrested following a DUI accident in which he was driving 156 miles per hour and killed a woman and her dog in a fiery crash.
Las Vegas could certainly arrive at MetLife Stadium a beleaguered team, or could flick a switch and play inspired football behind quarterback Derek Carr, who is in the midst of one of the strongest seasons of his career.
For the NY Giants’ defense, Sunday is an opportunity to continue building momentum, after holding the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs to an average of just 11.5 points per game over the past two contests.
How will quarterback Daniel Jones and the NY Giants’ offense — without Saquon Barkley and Sterling Shepard, but perhaps with Kenny Golladay — match up against a Raiders defense that enters ranked No. 9 in total defense?
Here’s a look at 3 bold predictions, and a score pick, for NY Giants vs. Raiders:
Derek Carr held under 150 passing yards
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is on the fringes of the MVP conversation, and having one of the strongest seasons of his career, however, this has been an unprecedented week.
Losing one of Carr’s favorite targets, wide receiver Henry Ruggs, in such selfish and tragic circumstances as an alcohol involved fiery car crash that killed a woman and her dog in which Ruggs was arrested for DUI while allegedly driving 156 miles per hour, have to be excruciating circumstances for a quarterback to prepare for a game.
Carr’s season-low is 196 yards. But, given a depleted receiving corps; Zay Jones, Hunter Renfrow, and Bryan Edwards atop the wide receiver depth chart, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that the NY Giants defense hold him to a significantly lower output.
Two weeks removed from getting Sam Darnold benched in a win over the Carolina Panthers and six days out from holding Patrick Mahomes to 275 yards with one touchdown to one interception, look for the Giants to stifle Carr on Sunday afternoon.