The New York Giants enter Week 3 with some momentum on their side. Yes, they suffered a soul-crushing Week 2 overtime defeat at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys (yuck), but the offense came away with 500-plus yards and 37 points — a far cry from anything we saw in Week 1.
Russell Wilson looked like vintage Russ... until he turned into a pumpkin in OT. Still, if offensive coordinator Mike Kafka can continue stacking performances like that, this team will have a chance in a lot more games than anyone expected. That includes their primetime Sunday night showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Related: Alarming trend is inevitably setting the Giants up to be humiliated in Week 3
But the offense only tells half the story. This defense is an absolute mess. They can’t make a stop to save their life, especially on the ground. And unfortunately, fans shouldn’t expect that to improve in this one, with Friday’s final injury report painting a rough outlook for Week 3.
Giants’ linebacker room collapses just in time for Week 3 primetime
Don’t look now, but the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs aren’t their usual world-beater selves. There was at least some hope that the G-Men could pull off a primetime upset at MetLife... until the injury report dropped:
Out:
- LB Darius Muasau (Concussion/Eye)
- LB Micah McFadden (Foot - IR)
- LB Chris Board (Chest - IR)
Doubtful:
- DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches Sr. (Foot)
- LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (calf)
Questionable:
- DL Chauncey Golston (Ankle)
- OT Andrew Thomas (Foot)
- WR Gunner Olszewski (Back)
There’s a lot to unpack here, but let’s start with the elephant in the room — the linebacker unit is all but nonexistent. It’s genuinely wild how many LBs are out this week. To patch things together, Big Blue called up practice-squad member and former Chiefs UDFA Swayze Bozeman.
Bozeman will likely replace Muasau, who replaced McFadden when he went down. It’s a brutal game of musical chairs, and it comes at the worst time. The Giants’ already-shaky run defense now has to deal with Isaiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt looking for a get-right game. And with Nuñez-Roches likely out and Chauncey Golston questionable, the defensive front takes another couple hits.
They’re in serious trouble.
In better... cautiously-optimistic-late-development news, star offensive tackle Andrew Thomas is officially questionable after finding himself listed as doubtful the past two weeks. The 26-year-old said he’ll see how he feels over the weekend before deciding on his status for the home opener. If he can go, that'd be a massive win for the Giants.
Furthermore, Darius Slayton, Wan'Dale Robinson, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. are off the injury report, along with starting offensive linemen John Michael Schmitz Jr. and Jon Runyan. That's great news for the offense as a whole.
All eyes will be on Sunday night’s primetime home-opener at MetLife. It’s a litmus test for both teams — the Chiefs are out to prove they’re still contenders, while the Giants are just trying to show they still have a pulse. It's a must-win for both teams in what could be one of the most interesting 0-2 matchups in recent memory.