Jersey roads, take me home, to the place the Giants roam... MetLife Stadium, where the New York Football Giants will play host to the Kansas City Chiefs for Sunday Night Football in Week 3.
It’s a battle of the losers — quite literally. Both teams enter Sunday night’s primetime matchup 0-2, desperate for their first win of the season. It’s a big ask for Big Blue, still reeling from a devastating overtime loss to the Cowboys in Week 2. And when Friday’s final injury report dropped, it all but confirmed that it’s going to be a long night for the Giants’ defense, with one Chiefs superstar in particular looking to feast.
That player would be Travis Swift — sorry, Taylor Kelce — wait, no, that's not right. Let's try again. That player would be Travis Kelce, the future Hall of Fame tight end, who’s poised to have a field day against a depleted linebacking corps and a struggling safety group that’s begging to be exposed.
Giants' patchwork defense sets up a dream Week 3 for Travis Kelce
The life-sized ketchup and mustard bottles are looking to end a seven-game losing streak at MetLife, and one matchup should be called on all night to get the job done. This will be Kelce's third game against the Giants in his career, and let's just say if he plays anything like the previous two... uh-oh.
The 35-year-old has 12 receptions for 136 yards and will be looking to finally add a touchdown or two against Big Blue to his Hall-of-Fame resume.
That'll be a lot easier with a completely exhausted linebacker room. Micah McFadden, Chris Board, and Darius Muasau have already been ruled out, with special teamer Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles listed as doubtful. That leaves Bobby Okereke and practice-squad-signee Swayze Bozeman.
Related: Giants’ final Week 3 injury report adds late wrinkle to Chiefs showdown
Funny enough, Bozeman was originally signed by the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2024. He spent most of the season on their practice squad before appearing in three games of special teams duty. That's not exactly encouraging. Kelce feasts on All-Pro backers, so imagine what he’ll do against... whatever this experiment is.
And just when Giants fans thought they could turn to their defensive backs for help, Jevón Holland and Tyler Nubin said, "Nope." Holland has looked like a $45 million mistake, and Nubin's clearly got some sort of sophomore slump going on in the worst way. Heck, even backup Dane Belton hasn't offered much relief. And that's a serious problem with a team like Kansas City coming to town, looking to exploit every conceivable matchup to ensure a road win.
In hindsight, it's even more confusing now that Joe Schoen decided to replace McFadden with a glorified underachieving former Jets kick returner in Xavier Gipson. There just had to be a more appropriate player to sign... I don't know, maybe like a linebacker. Shocking, right?
Against a struggling defensive unit, Andy Reid, Mahomes, and Kelce are going to work their bread and butter, which means No. 87 will be a huge fixture in their offensive game plan. Now it’s on Shane Bowen’s defense to prove they’re not just another Kelce highlight reel waiting to happen.