The New York Giants saved their season with a huge come-from-behind victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. Trailing 20-0 at halftime after being outscored 60-0 in the first six quarters of the season, and by as many as 21 in the third quarter, the Giants’ offense woke up out of their stupor and got moving down the field.
New York scored the final 24 points of the game unanswered, picking up a big victory and evening their record up at 1-1. Alas, they won’t have much time to celebrate the win, as they will be heading back on the road to play on Thursday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers.
That will be a stiff test for the Giants as the 49ers have been excellent in their first two games of the season. They look every bit the contender people thought they would be coming into the season, dominating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 and picking up a road victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.
What can we expect to see from a potential short-handed Giants team on Thursday night? Here are three bold predictions for Big Blue in their Week 3 matchup against the 49ers.
3. No Barkley, No Problem
The Giants offense could be without star running back Saquon Barkley in Week 3. Barkley suffered an ankle sprain on the team’s final drive against the Cardinals and was originally given a three-week recovery timetable.
Head coach Brian Daboll has yet to rule Barkley out for Thursday night, but that could be some gamesmanship. It would be shocking if he was on the field four days after spraining his ankle, which means someone else will need to step up.
Matt Breida and rookie Eric Gray will likely handle backfield duties with Gary Brightwell sprinkling in. They will help the rushing attack with Daniel Jones, who will spearhead the effort on the ground.
New York will finish the game with 125+ rushing yards in a total team effort to replace their absent star in Barkley.
2. Offensive Line Holds Up In Pass Protection
One of the biggest areas of weakness for the Giants this season through two games has been the offensive line. New York’s pass protection didn’t hold up at all against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 as Jones was under siege virtually every snap.
The team’s performance in Week 2 did improve but some changes may have to be made out of necessity in Week 2 because of injuries. New York did seem to find some combinations that worked against the Cardinals and should lean on those players again in Week 3.
If Andrew Thomas can get back into the lineup, it would be a huge boost for the Giants. This unit will continue gelling and have another strong night, shutting out reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa in the sack department.
1. Giants Pull Off Massive Upset
The Giants have their backs up against the wall as no one is expecting them to be competitive on Thursday Night Football. They are 10-point underdogs and could be without their best player offensively.
We are going to learn a lot about New York’s toughness in this game, playing against a top team in the NFC. This is reminiscent of the game in 2020 when an undermanned Giants team led by Colt McCoy went into Lumen Field and defeated the Seattle Seahawks 17-12.
A similar low-scoring, slugfest will need to occur this week for the Giants to have any chance of winning. The defense will answer the call and they will pull off a huge upset, beating the 49ers and moving to 2-1 on the season.
