The New York Giants 2022 schedule has been known for some time now and fans are excited. New York has one of the easiest schedules in the league, which is great news for a team coming off of a 4-13 finish last campaign. However, new Giants head coach Brian Daboll won’t have the easiest of games to start thee season. The G-Men will travel to Nashville Week 1 to take on the Tennessee Titans.
Tennessee has one the more impressive offenses in the NFL, which has resulted in reaching the playoffs three straight years. Daboll and defensive coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale should already be preparing for this matchup, setting up game plans to shut down the key members of the Titans offense. Here’s a look at three players in particular.
3. TE Austin Hooper
Austin Hooper has the versatility that’s needed at the tight end position in today’s league. The Titans suffered from a lack of skill at tight end last season after the departure of Jonnu Smith to the Patriots last offseason.
Last year Tennessee fielded a trio of Anthony Firkser, Geoff Swaim and MyCole Pruitt. Firkser would primarily play passing downs and Swaim and Pruitt would come in on running downs. The result of this was that teams could easily figure out when the Titans were going to pass or run the football.
Hooper made the pro bowl twice in 2018-19 with the Atlanta Falcons and he then signed with the Cleveland Browns, but a change in his role occurred and with it a dip in performance came. The addition of Hooper to the Titans offense will boost both the passing and the running game and will allow Tennessee the freedom and ability to run a dynamic offense in 2022.
The Giants defense will have to get the right matchups and defensive packages to prepare for a Titans offense that wants to be more versatile. This will be a tough week 1 game for a rookie head coach and a New York defense that got weaker in the secondary, but stronger at the line of scrimmage.
2. WR Robert Woods
Tennessee acquired wide receiver Robert Woods from the Los Angeles Rams in a trade this offseason. Woods was part of last year’s Super Bowl-winning Rams team, but suffered an ACL injury in November which sidelined him for the rest of the season. The consensus is that he should be healthy for training camp.
Woods is one of the better receivers in the NFL and is widely underrated. It didn’t help his case for recognition since he was on a team that also had wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. The Titans traded for Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones last season, but the 33- year-old missed a lot of game time and saw a decrease in performance.
Woods should be what Jones was said to be for Tennessee. He will make big plays whilst stretching the field to open up space in the backfield for Derrick Henry to charge his way through. The new Titan should be a big part of the game plan in players the Giants defense needs to prepare to be ready for Week 1.
1. RB Derrick Henry
No doubt about it, Henry is not only Tennessee’s best player, but one of, if not the best offensive player in the NFL. The former Alabama standout has had three 1000+ yard seasons in his career since entering the league in 2016 as a second-round draft pick. Henry’s best season was in 2020 in which he ran for 2027 yards, scoring 17 touchdowns.
The Titans running back was on track to break the single season rushing yards record in 2021 before he was injured and sidelined for the second half of the regular season. Before his injury, Henry was on track for 2,110 rushing yards, which would have broken the record of 2,105 yards set by Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson in 1984.
This is the first major injury the Tennessee back has picked up in his career. Henry is now 28 years old and this is the point where running backs see regression in performance. Henry is not like other running backs, but he is coming off of a foot injury, which could be the first of more nagging injuries as he ages.
The Giants shouldn’t move their focus away from Henry, as he will still be the focal piece of Tennessee’s offense this season. Preparing to stop the Titans running back is the greatest challenge for any NFL defense, as few have had success in trying. If the Giants are to beat Tennessee come Week 1, then shutting down the running game needs to be part of the game plan.