NFL
New York Giants vs Houston Texans Preview
The NRG Stadium will host Week 3 showdown between 0-2 teams in New York Giants and Houston Texans. Both teams are searching for their first win this season and in dire need of turning their season around. Since the 2002 when the current divisional format was established, only 11% of teams starting 0-2 end up making the playoffs. The only team to pull off the feat was the 2017-18 New Orleans Saints. If either of these two things have a chance, the moment to change the route is now.
Giants
Despite having a collection of the most dynamic players in the league in Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram and Odell Beckham Jr., the Giants offense is suffering. For this reason, many hold Eli Manning responsible for not making this offense work to perfection. If the Giants have any chance at returning to their winning ways, they will have to set the tone and march down the field feeding Barkley the ball from the get-go. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys put two great opening drives that ended in scoring opportunities. The Giants will have to set the tone against the Texans should they want a favorable match.
Is Eli Really That Bad?
So, is Eli really that bad? Or is it that his offensive line is bad? Against the Cowboys, Manning dumped-off as last-resort to avoid getting sack many of 14 receptions Barkley had in the game. However, Barkley only managed 80 yards of those 14 receptions (that became a franchise record for a RB) and 28 rushing yards as he struggled to shake away from the line of scrimmage in many cases. In addition, Beckham was a non-factor against the Cowboys with just four receptions for 51 yards on nine targets. Even head coach Pat Shurmur believes this is the case:
“We had some plays that were available to us last week,” Shurmur said. “We have to do a little bit of a better job of blocking up front, so the ball gets down there.”
The Giant’s offensive line ranks No. 23 in the NFL and its among the worst this season, according to Pro Football Focus. While Eli is old and his performance is not up to par to other seasons, his offensive line has been far from spectacular.
But… There Is Saquon
Barkley has been as advertised and perhaps more. Against the Jaguars in Week 1, Barkley rushed 18 times for 106 yards and one touchdown. He also caught two passes for 22 yards in that game. Against the Cowboys in Week 2, the former Penn State RB didn’t have the same success as he was held to only 11 rushes for 28 yards while also catching 14 receptions for 89 yards. The Texans will have to game plan for Barkley running and also catching the ball as he has been successful with both in two games.
Texans
Playing At Home
Houston will be playing its home opening against the Giants after starting their season on the road against New England and Tennessee, respectively. This is Houston’s biggest advantage over the Giants as they played better at home throughout last season. However, the Texans have had slow starts but managed to pick up the pace in each of the second halves played. The same can be said about the Giants offense that have yet to pick up any fire despite having Barkley and Beckham in their lineup.
Offense: Deshaun Watson/DeAndre Hopkins
This season has seen a different Deshaun Watson as he has been rather unsuccessful at sparking up the offense when throwing deep. Perhaps the bar has been set too high after having a remarkable rookie campaign that was later cut short by an injury. Last season, Watson was first in the NFL with 19.6% Deep Attempts and 17.5 Deep Touchdown percentage. Scoring first against the Giants will go a long way toward helping secure their first victory of 2018. Additionally, finding WR DeAndre Hopkins early on will dismantle a Giants defense that will likely be without CB Eli Apple and LB Olivier Vernon who are dealing with a groin injury and high-ankle sprain, respectively.
Defense: J.J. Watt/Jadeveon Clowney
Similarly to Watson, J.J. Watt hasn’t been the same since last year and far from the Defensive Player of the Year from his past. Despite this, this season has seen Watt take 129 snaps in two games. If he remains healthy, the Texans defense may startle Manning just enough to make mistakes and keep him from throwing deep to Beckham. In addition to Watt, the Texans defense needs a healthy Jadeveon Clowney. However, he has been limited in practice and will likely not play against the Giants.
Prediction
With such prolific offensive weapons on both sides of the ball, one would think this will be an offensive showdown. However, with both teams in need of win, the defenses will take over and have a low scoring game. While the Giants are poised for a win, the Texans playing at home, and in a similar situation, have a better chance at getting the first win this season.
Prediction: Giants 15 – Texans 18
Date: Sunday, September 23, 2018
Time: 1:00 PM Easter Time
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Team Records:
New York Giants 0-2-0
Houston Texans 0-2-0
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Photo credit to Curt Johnson via Flickr
