The NY Giants are coming off back-to-back wins and a much-needed bye week before they host the Packers this Monday night. Both Big Blue and Green Bay are in the race to clinch an NFC playoff spot, but the outcome of this matchup will undoubtedly impact both team's ability to keep their postseason chances alive.
The Packers enter MNF at 6-6, which is third in the NFC North; however, if the playoffs were to start today, they would receive the final Wild Card spot in the NFC. Green Bay is currently on a three-game winning streak and is coming off a massive upset over the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs last week.
Meanwhile for NY, they're coming off wins over Washington and New England thanks to the strong play of rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito, who is getting the start vs. Green Bay. Will a third consecutive win be on the way for the G-Men? In this piece, we have four bold predictions for the action:
4. Giants defense holds Aaron Jones to under 3 yards per carry
Packers veteran running back Aaron Jones has been dealing with an MCL strain since their matchup with the Chargers three weeks ago. The injury prevented the Pro Bowl running back from playing or practicing the last two weeks; however, things are starting to look up for Jones after saying he is feeling better. The veteran also participated in back-to-back practices this week on a limited basis, so we can expect him to suit up on Monday Night against the Giants.
Aaron Jones on the status of his knee injury that’s kept him out the last two games: pic.twitter.com/73YwmqyxMK
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) December 8, 2023
While Jones provides a significant boost to the Packers' offense when healthy, this will be an opportunity for the Giants' defense to take advantage of the running back as he returns from his knee injury, which means the Giants' defensive line should hold the veteran from breaking out on Monday. Jones is averaging 3.7 yards per carry this season; however, I can see him underperforming this week and averaging under three yards as he gets reaccumulated with Green Bay's offense after missing some time.
Something to monitor for Big Blue will be the status of nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, who missed the Giants' game before the bye week and was limited at practice on Thursday. Regardless, the Giants will rely on other defensive players like Micah McFadden, Bobby Okereke and Kayvon Thibodeaux to stop Jones from having a breakout performance.