Following the NY Giants' preseason Week 2 win against the Panthers, Big Blue is set to face off against their inter-stadium rivals the Jets. This game will cap off both teams' preseasons and finally send them into the regular season.
With the success we saw from the Giants against the Panthers, it's only reasonable to expect another victory in Week 3. The Jets may be a better opponent than Carolina, but it's still the preseason and the Giants depth will be ready to impress. With that said, here are our bold predictions for the contest, with Aaron Rodgers set to make his debut for Gang Green:
4. The NY Giants will have a receiver surpass 70 yards
Despite having a fairly successful pass attack through their first two preseason games, the Giants have yet to see a receiver surpass 50 yards. However, we think that Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka are going to be much more aggressive this week which could lead to a big-time game from one of the Giants' receivers. Could 70 be on the way for someone?
Who knows which receiver will be the one to surpass 70 yards, but we're confident it will happen. Whether it's Jalin Hyatt off of a couple deep passes, Darren Waller if he plays, or someone unexpected, we're hopeful for someone to have a massive game right before the regular season arrives.
It's unknown if Daniel Jones will play or not, but we do know Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito will take the field this week. Jones was brilliant last week vs. the Panthers, completing 8-of-9 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown in his lone series.
To make things even better, the Jets have a pretty weak secondary in terms of depth. While they have some elite guys like Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed, once you look past them, it gets pretty rough. Hopefully, Daboll and Kafka notice this and take advantage of it in order to pull out a preseason finale win.
3. Deonte Banks won't allow a single reception once again
In the first two preseason games, we have seen first-round pick Deonte Banks dominate whoever he has faced off against. While, obviously, he's been playing against backups for the majority of the time, he has still looked just as good against the Lions and Panthers' starting receivers.
Now, Banks will face his toughest task yet. That being the New York Jets' impressive receiving core that features Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman, and more. It's currently unknown if these three will be on the field, but with Rodgers starting, there's a good chance they'll be on the field at one point or another.
This will give Banks a great opportunity to test his talents against a high-level receiving core. Despite how talented the Jets offense may be, we're still confident that Banks will have yet another shutdown performance and prove all of his doubters wrong.
Banks has allowed zero receptions on four targets while racking up three tackles over the past two weeks. Keep in mind that Banks had played 61 snaps between these two games, so it's not as if his numbers look good because he's barely on the field. Opposing teams are simply scared to target Banks already.
2. The Giants defense will force an Aaron Rodgers turnover
While it's likely that Rodgers won't see the field much this weekend, look for the Giants defense to make noise when he's out there. The Jets may have a talented offense, but Martindale has his guys operating at a high level. The young defensive backs have really looked sharp.
When the Giants' defense was on the field against the Panthers' starting offense, the Panthers scored just three points in two possessions and had immense trouble getting down the field. Obviously, the Jets are a much better offensive team, but the Giants defense is not one to joke about and we're excited to see the two sides face off.
Even if Rodgers is in for two possessions, there's a good chance that NY will give him fits. It's unknown how many starters will suit up, but Big Blue is going to want to put pressure on Rodgers regardless. Imagine how fired up Banks or Hawkins would be to haul in an interception off of Rodgers. It'd easily be the highlight of their rookie seasons thus far.
Last season, Rodgers threw 12 interceptions, the most in his career since 2008, his first season as a full-time starter. While not everything was perfect in Green Bay, it's hard to tell if it will be any better with the Jets. All we know for now is that Rodgers will have his work cut out for him against the Giants.
1. The NY Giants will win by double digits
While this prediction may not have worked out well last week, the Giants backups look stronger than the Jets. Not only have the Jets had an up-and-down preseason, but the Giants looked pretty damn good against the Panthers early on last Friday night.
The Jets are a talented team, don't get us wrong. However, the Giants are more likely than not going to be the better team in 2023. We have few doubts that the Giants' pass-rush will make Rodgers and company feel pressure early on. Once the Giants dominate the Jets' starters, it will be easy cooking for the bench.
Entering this game, the only thing Giants fans should be concerned about is how well the backup offensive line will hold up. This is the main thing that has held the Giants' offensive depth back. Despite this problem, though, the Giants still have had a fair amount of success with this unit and that should continue against the Jets.
Winning this game by double digits against the Jets, who the Giants will face off against in Week 8, would give the team massive amounts of confidence heading into the regular season. Regardless of the outcome, though, this should be one of, if not the most entertaining preseason games this week.