The New York Giants are 1-0 heading into a Week 2 showdown with the 0-1 Los Angeles Rams. Imagine saying that to someone with a straight face on Sept. 10, before the two clubs kicked off their respective 2026 campaigns.
Well, here we are! The Giants go on the road to face the Rams in what has suddenly become a massive Monday Night Football showdown. However, to many's surprise, Los Angeles enters the contest with something to prove; go figure.
Several high-profile offseason additions entrenched an already-stacked Rams squad as heavy Super Bowl LXI favorites. Their roster is the best in the NFL, but they still need to walk the talk. Seeing them come out flat and look very mortal was eye-opening — and an opportunity for New York to strike.
Head coach John Harbaugh had the Giants prepared for battle in his impressive debut win over the Dallas Cowboys. Can they ride the high straight to SoFi Stadium and parlay it into an upset of L.A.? That's more within the range of outcomes now than it was just days ago, in more ways than one.
Giants have a legitimate opportunity to pull off upset vs. Rams
No one expected the G-Men to take down the Cowboys, especially so convincingly. Their rivalry has been lopsided for the past decade (specifically since Dak Prescott became the starting quarterback of "America's Team"). Morale naturally figures to be through the roof for Harbaugh and Co., who have the surprisingly adversity-riddled Rams on tap.
Meanwhile, much of the hype surrounding Los Angeles has centered around the arrival of Myles Garrett, the two-time and reigning Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY). The superstar pass-rusher's a one-man wrecking crew who can flip any matchup on its head at a moment's notice, though he's out against New York.
Garrett is injured reserve-bound after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on the same knee that cost him most of training camp. He didn't look right in the Rams' 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, even admitting as much, and will miss at least the next four games. His sudden, shocking absence softens a daunting front seven for Big Blue, yet another presence (or lack thereof) looms large too: Aaron Donald.
Donald, one of the greatest players of all time and a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, recently unretired and joined Los Angeles. He didn't make the trip with the team to Australia for their opener versus San Francisco and is reportedly still "working himself into football shape." The league notably granted a two-game roster exemption, so his highly anticipated comeback could theoretically wait until Week 3, and it sounds like it might.
Rams head coach Sean McVay expressed doubt about Donald's availability (h/t Stu Jackson of the team's official website). Whether that was genuine or gamesmanship remains to be seen, although a slow ramp-up makes sense.
Legendary status aside, Donald's last appearance came in the 2023 NFC Wild Card Round, and a lot has changed since then. While the three-time DPOY was still performing at an All-Pro level when deciding to hang up his cleats in March 2024, he's 35 now. Some leeway to get reintegrated, and even regression, is more than fair.
Between Garrett and Donald's outlooks and the Giants' upward trajectory, specifically on offense, the margins get thinner.
Giants have multiple paths to making life difficult for Rams
Seeing New York's defense stand tall and do its job wasn't groundbreaking. The unit has talent on all three levels that can go toe-to-toe with virtually anyone, including a Cowboys group with a ton of firepower. It was the encouraging effort on the other side of the ball that gives Harbaugh's crew a real puncher's chance against the Rams.
Second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart, running back Cam Skattebo and the Giants' offensive line manhandled an NFC East foe that typically is doing the dominating. They imposed their will, specifically on the ground, recording 165 rushing yards and a touchdown on 37 carries.
Conversely, L.A. struggled to limit the ground game in their season opener in Melbourne. Only three teams gave up more rushing yards (174) in Week 1, and they were tied for the second-most yards per attempt allowed (5.8).
Not to mention, the Rams rank 22nd in ESPN's pass block win rate (43 percent) coming off a disappointing showdown with the 49ers. The O-line's shortcomings open the door for the dynamic edge-rushing trio of Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux to wreak havoc.
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