Giants vs. Falcons: Preview and Prediction

After their fifth-straight 0-2 start, and their eighth out of the last nine years (I know), the New York Giants will host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon looking to turn their season around. Given the Giants’ unrelenting futility the last half-decade, there may not be any teams in the NFL they should beat. If there are, though, the Falcons would certainly fit the bill. They’re one of the seven remaining teams, along with New York, to still be winless. They hold the league’s worst point differential (-49) by a wide margin, and are pretty talent-deficient on defense and the offensive line. Such a seemingly friendly matchup couldn’t come at a better time for Big Blue. They desperately need to avoid an 0-3 hole to give themselves a realistic chance at climbing back in the playoff race.

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The vulnerability of their opponent is where the good news ends this week for New York. According to Ian Rapoport, guard Shane Lemieux underwent surgery for his partially torn patellar tendon and will miss the remainder of the season. Combined with the injury to center Nick Gates, who was lost for the season after last Thursday’s devastating leg fracture, the Giants are now down two starters along the interior offensive line, an area at which they were already weak. New York needs Billy Price and Ben Bredeson, two players they traded for just before the regular season, to step in as adequate replacements. Otherwise, this offensive line could undermine the Giants’ skill-position talent all year.

It’ll be interesting to see if Daniel Jones, coming off one of his career-best games, can continue his strong play against a sub-par Falcons defense. This game will also be an opportunity for the Giants’ defense, underwhelming so far, to find it’s groove against an Atlanta offense that’s had trouble pushing the ball downfield.

Of course, this game is particularly special because of Eli Manning. The former Giants quarterback who started for 16 seasons and won two Super Bowl MVPs will have his number retired during a halftime ceremony on Sunday. Hopefully Big Blue can get a victory to leave Eli’s day untarnished.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s game, followed by a prediction for the final score.

Where and When

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST/10:00 a.m. PST

Injuries

Atlanta: WR Russell Gage (Questionable), WR Frank Darby (Questionable), CB A.J. Terrell (Questionable)

New York: TE Kaden Smith (Questionable), WR Kadarius Toney (Questionable), TE Evan Engram (Questionable), WR Kenny Golladay (Questionable), RB Saquon Barkley (Questionable), S Logan Ryan (Questionable), DT Austin Johnson (Questionable), S Nate Ebner (Questionable), LB Cam Brown (Questionable)

Most Concerning Matchup: DT Grady Jarrett vs. C Billy Price

The Falcons don’t have many defensive players who scare you, but Jarrett is certainly one. The two-time Pro Bowler has been one the pass-rushing defensive tackles in football over his seven-year career, racking up a total of 25.5 sacks. Jarrett should be especially worrisome for New York, who’ll again have to start Price at center as an injury replacement. Price has been a notoriously poor pass blocker in his career. The shifty and athletic Jarrett represents a potentially nightmarish matchup for the former Cincinnati Bengal.

Thankfully, the Giants should be able to double-team Jarrett without too much repercussion, as the Falcons lack another threatening pass rusher. But if the Giants aren’t careful, Jarrett has game-wrecking ability from the interior.

Most Promising Matchup: WR Kenny Golladay vs. CB A.J. Terrell

Golladay, New York’s prized free-agent acquisition, hasn’t yet made the intended impact on this Giants offense. He’s shown signs of coming close, hauling in combined seven catches for 102 yards so far. This Sunday could be his opportunity to break out in a big way.

Terrell, Atlanta’s nominal number-one corneback, struggled last year as a rookie. He hasn’t gotten off to a whiz-bang start this season either. He’s earned a 62.6 grade from Pro Football Focus through two games, despite improving on his passer rating allowed and yards per target from last year. Terrell is still recovering from a concussion he suffered last week, so there’s a chance Golladay gets an even more favorable matchup against Fabian Moreau. Either way, these are the types of games in which Golladay should dominate.

Keys to Victory

This isn’t a game which requires nuanced game planning or good luck. The Giants are simply a better team than Atlanta on paper. They should have their way with them on both sides of the ball. The Falcons’ lenient defense should give Big Blue’s offense plenty of room to build off the positive things they did last week.

On defense, the Giants’ defense should be able to suppress an Atlanta offense without explosive playmakers and with an over-the-hill quarterback in Matt Ryan. This should be a get-right game for prominent Giants like Golladay, Barkley, and Leonard Williams.

Final Score Prediction: Giants 27 – Falcons 17

The Giants aren’t in any position to take games for granted, and this one will probably be closer than fans would prefer. But New York is simply a better team, and they shouldn’t be lacking any urgency after their 0-2 start. Big Blue will get their first win of the year on Sunday.

– Ryan Cuneo is the Managing Editor of Full Press Giants. He covers the New York Giants. Like and follow on Follow @ryan_cuneo Follow @FullPressGiants and Facebook.