By Michael Stewart/@TheTruthNYG
The Giants (4-8) limp into the waiting arms of the Los Angeles Chargers (7-5) who are coming off a convincing win over the Cincinnati Bengals 41-22. The Giants will be without the services of quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Mike Glennon (neck sprain/concussion) and will hand the ball over to newly acquired waiver wire quarterback Jake Fromm; who will be making his first NFL start of his career. So, what can we truly expect from Fromm? The Giants offensive playbook has been categorized as being too conservative when Jones was playing; now it will be downright basic.
Here are my top 5 ways the Giants could walk away with a stunning victory.
- Giants running attack: The Chargers are allowing 141.2 yards on the ground, which ranks 2nd worse right behind the Houston Texans. The Giants are averaging only 90.8 yards on the ground, but Saquan Barkley is showing a little more hop in his step since returning from his ankle sprain gaining 55 yards on just 11 carries last week. Along with Devontae Booker, the Giants must run the ball down the Chargers throats and take as much pressure off Fromm’s shoulders as possible. If there’s a game that Giant fans have been waiting for Barkley to erupt; it has to be this one as the Giants would be wise to exploit the Chargers biggest weakness.
- Giants defensive pass defense: The Chargers behind the strong arm of Justin Herbert are averaging 281.1 yards in the air, which ranks them 6th in the league. The Giant’s defense is allowing 242.5 in the air, so something has to give here. The Giants secondary needs to have arguably their best game of the season collectively and force Herbert to make unadvised throws and decisions. Easier said than done.
- Pass Rush needs to show up: Expecting a Giants pass rush is like expecting to find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. This has plagued the Giants all season, but they must find a way to put pressure on Herbert who has been sacked 2.1 times per game. DC Patrick Graham will need to take chances with blitzes packages from not only the linebacker spot, but also from the secondary position. This could backfire and open up big play opportunities for Justin Herbert, but it’s a risk that needs to be taken.
- Red Zone: The Giants have cemented their place in the red zone after 12 games by holding down the 32nd spot in the league (last) at 41.9%. The Chargers are ranked 8th with a 64% conversion. Kicking field goals instead of converting touchdowns usually results in loses at the end of the day. Hard to imagine the Giants fortunes will change with Fromm behind center.
- Time of Possesion: This is not brain surgery Giant fans; this is a simple formula for the Giants in this game; keep the ball away from quarterback Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense. The Chargers and Giants overall have not done particularly well in this category as the Chargers on average have held the rock for 28:57 minutes per game; to the Giants 28:31. So basically; both teams have allowed their opponents offense to have the ball more during the game. Giants must find a way to keep the ball in the hands of their offense at the very least 32-33 minutes.
The Giants are still mathematically in the playoff picture and although I consider myself a positive person; let’s be real here for the moment Giant fans. The Giants at this point should be playing for pride and each player is auditioning for 2022. This also pertains to the Giants coaching staff as well as Head Coach Joe Judge needs to show the ownership and the new GM, who is out there watching somewhere that he belongs to be back in 2022. This game would have been a struggle with a healthy Daniel Jones, however; with Jake Fromm, the Giants will be walking into a nightmare against a Chargers team that must continue to win and keep pace within their division. Final Score: Chargers- 31/Giants- 10