Lex Of It: Giants MNF Week Three – A Ruthless Roadmap To A Primetime Matchup
Giants are looking to go 3-0 in Monday nights game versus the Cowboys. This will be the team’s first NFC East matchup of the season. Three positional groups to focus on RB, DL, CB.
Giants Hope To Win A Third Straight Game To Start The Season
The Giants are trying to complete a task they have not done since 2009 where they started (5-0). Tonight they are trying to get their third straight win this Monday Night against their divisional foe, Dallas Cowboys.
“Playing on Monday night is always special, but the things that help you win a game on Sunday at one o’clock are the things that help you win a game on Monday,” the head coach said earlier this week. “And I think that’s where our focus needs to be is there’s plenty of things that we needed to correct from Week 2, from Week 1.
You’re always evaluating where you’re at as a team, whether it’s after a loss, after a win. You’re doing research on scheduling, making adjustments. You never want to come out and say, ‘Well, we weren’t prepared in that regard.’ We’re working hard to keep improving as an organization all the way around. We look forward to playing on Monday night and trying to build off on some of the things we did well and improve on the things we haven’t done well.”
PRIMETIME BABY 🤩 pic.twitter.com/NpZRaC8JiJ — New York Giants (@Giants) September 26, 2022
Offense Keys To The Game, Positional Group RB
A big part of starting fast will be getting Barkley going early. Through the first two games, Barkley has rushed for 45 yards on 11 carries (4.1 avg.) in the first half, including only three yards on the ground against Carolina. However, his numbers jumped up to an impressive 191 yards on 28 attempts (6.8 avg.) in the second half. Coincidence or not, 34 of the team’s 40 total points have come in the second half. Establishing the run early should help the Giants jump out to a faster start against Dallas, who rank 19th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (120.5).
“That’s an important part of the game for us is trying to get off for a fast start,” Daboll said on Monday. “That doesn’t always happen. The last two games are the only two games to go by in terms of the regular season. So, we’ll continue to work at that and put together some good openers. It takes everybody – the coaching, the playing – everybody. And it’s something we’ll work on”
“I think we go into the week and the game trying to put together the best plan we can. And I think the offensive coaches do a really good job. Again, we haven’t had the results that we’re hoping for, but I believe in the process and the preparation that those guys do. We’ll continue to try to do a better job at that.”
Don’t Rush to Judgment
With Dak Prescott likely out for this Monday Night matchup, the Giants have learned in recent years, just because he is Dallas’ backup quarterback does not mean he can be overlooked. Rush went 19 of 31 for 235 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, good for a passer rating of 95.5.
“I see a guy that’s a starting quarterback in this league,” the defensive coordinator said about Rush. “Honestly, I do. And I made the comment just watching him and the decisions that he makes, I think he’ll have a long career as a quarterback in this league, and then he’ll be one of those cats that become an offensive coordinator and a head coach by the time he’s 38 or 39. That’s how it usually works.”.
The Cowboys enter this matchup with a talented group of offensive playmakers. Despite being off to a slow start this year, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb caught 79 passes for over 1,100 yards last season. Michael Gallup has caught 24 passes for 400 yards and a touchdown in seven career games against the Giants. The Boys’ leading receiver through two games is Noah Brown, who caught five passes for 91 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals last week.
So defensively the Giants secondary will need to step up. Adoree’ Jackson has picked up where he left off last season, providing the secondary with solid, consistent play at outside corner.
Aaron Robinson still recovering from appendicitis, the Giants ‘defense will likely look to rookie Cor’Dale Flott and veteran Fabian Moreau to line up opposite Jackson and match up against Dallas’ talented receivers.
“Cor’Dale has his best week of practice going into Carolina; and he started off well yesterday,” said Martindale. “He had some cramping issues during the game. Once again, that’s that rookie thing I was talking about with Dane Belton. They’re breathing heavier and everything else because they’re so excited about being out there to play. And then we put Fabe (Fabian Moreau) in there, and he did a great job as well. So, going forward, we’ll see where we’re at. We can still rotate them or do whatever we need to do. But I was pleased with both of them actually.”
Setting The Edge While Collapsing The Pocket Is Key
Last week with Prescott, the Cowboy’ offense relied on the run game more so than in the season opener. Expect Dallas to lean heavily on their running backs on Monday night.
“First of all it’s very difficult for the defense when you have two running backs of their caliber – especially when they’re out there on the field at the same time,” Martindale said Thursday. “But either one of them could be Pro Bowl running backs. They basically have very similar skill set. I’ve always said going against Zeke that once he gets his shoulders squared and he starts heading downfield, he’s a problem. You better be ready to come tackling. So, it’s going to be another one of those games where we got to tighten up our chinstraps and try to get 11 people the football.“.
The Lex Of It
Monday’s game tonight marks the team’s first NFC East matchup of the season. It will be important for the New York Giants to pick up a victory this week, as it will serve as the only opportunity they have to show what they can do in the division for a while. Following this week’s game against Dallas, Brian Daboll’s squad will not face another divisional opponent until Week 12, when they take on the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
“For me it’s just, it’s the biggest game because it’s the next game,” Saquon Barkley said. “That’s the mentality that I kind of always have. It was instilled in me in college. Obviously, I had a little more success in college than the first couple of years in the league. Never get too hyped over a game, just got to come in continuing to love the process, enjoy the process and do what we can to try and get a win.”.