Can the Giants Secure a Third Win Against the Falcons?
The New York Football Giants are on the road for this weekend's game in Week 16. This weekend, they will be in Atlanta taking on the Falcons, and there is a chance that the Giants can get their hopes up again. It’s been one disastrous thing after another for them. This game may not be a pretty one, but there is definitely something to look forward to despite how low the odds for this team may be. The Giants have had one season for the books, and not in a good way. They currently sit at the bottom of the league with a record of 2-12. The only team matching them at this rate is the Las Vegas Raiders, and now, between these two teams, it's a battle for the first-round draft pick.
The Falcons currently stand at a 7-7 record, and there is a small chance they may be going to the playoffs at the end of the season. They have done well for themselves, but they are still in the hunt to land themselves in a Wild Card position. No one knows what’s going to happen, but they are in the middle, just like several other teams. However, they made a switch for this game with their quarterbacks from Kirk Cousins to Michael Penix Jr., and this might be an advantage for the Giants.
The Giants and the Falcons have met 26 times in total over the years. That includes one postseason game. They first met in 1966, and the Falcons are currently leading this series with a total of 14 wins, while the Giants have 12. However, in recent years, when Eli Manning was still playing for the Giants, they managed to beat them in nearly every game they played against them. The Giants might have a shot even with the way the team looks right now.
The Giants need to step up their game this coming week. Last weekend was another blowout for the Giants; they lost their ninth game straight. They gave up 35 points to Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. The Giants are in for a run for their money. Big Blue has had a ton of quarterback changes. In last weekend's game, due to nearly all of their starting quarterbacks being out on injury, the Giants had Tim Boyle come in for backup Tommy DeVito after he left the game against Baltimore due to a concussion. Drew Lock seems to be better and will be returning for this coming weekend's game to start in the quarterback position. He has been the one to keep the team close in scoring for the last several games he has played. He has thrown very few interceptions, and he is the type of quarterback who will run when he needs to despite having open guys on the field. It’s a good tactic that the Giants have been putting to use.
The Giants also have two of their finest weapons to work with on the field. Between Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy Jr, who have racked up well over 1,000 yards rushing, they should be able to get the ball to move down the field. Nabers scored his first touchdown in weeks in the game last weekend, a result that the Giants needed. When they get the ball out to these two, the Giants make things happen on the field.
The Falcons have Bijan Robinson, who is all and nothing but legs. He has blown past nearly every defense they have played all season. The Giants need to make sure that they are putting in the stops to get him down before he scores, or this game may turn into a complete shootout. The Giants average of scoring per game is less than 14.5 points. They have not scored any higher than that the entire season. It would be a miracle if they were to score higher and look like the way they used to play. The defensive line has had so many openings, but if they really pull it together, they can make a difference.
The defensive line also needs to start taking risks. Everyone may be out on injury on both sides, but if this line can step up and start taking the leaps, the Giants may have more time with the ball. They have failed to have more than five minutes with it all season. In total, they have also had two interceptions from the cornerback position, which is a really bad look for them. If the Giants can pull off all of these things, they may have a third win in the bag before the end of their terrible season. If they go with the loss, they will continue to have an advantage for the first-round pick, which is what fans are hoping for during the rebuild between this season and next season. The Giants just need to start making better decisions and taking the necessary risks.
