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Giants (2-8) Packers (5-3-1)
The Packers found themselves in a low scoring
Monday night matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles in Green Bay. Neither team had
anything to show for their efforts, until the Eagles first hit the scoreboard
with a field goal in the third quarter. One touchdown by each team in the fourth
quarter left the Packers on the wrong end of the 10-7 score.
The Giants had
every opportunity to win their game last Sunday with the Chicago Bears. Their
third quarter 17-7 lead, was supplemented by just one field goal in the fourth.
Chicago added two back to back touchdowns after that, to leave the Giants with
a 24-20 loss. Green Bay
Packers
Mike McCarthy became the head coach
of the Packers in 2006. He led the team to two playoff seasons before securing
a 2010 Super Bowl win, and Aaron Rodgers was named the MVP. After back to back
losing years in 2017-18, Green Bay moved on from McCarthy. Matt LaFleur took over,
and the NFC North division title went to the Packers for three straight seasons.
They haven't done that since, but LaFleur has guided the team to the playoffs
in every year he's coached the team but one.
Green Bay Packers Offense
Quarterback Jordan Love finished last season
throwing 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The team still ended up in the playoffs,
and in that Wild Card 22-10 game loss to the Eagles, Love threw no touchdowns
and had 3 interceptions. Though he's done better this year in that area, with
13 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, he's thrown no touchdowns in their last two
losses, and 1 interception. Tight end Tucker Kraft and wide receiver Romeo Doubs
have combined to catch 10 of Loves 13 touchdowns, and caught 49 of the teams 106
receiving first downs.
Rookie Matthew Golden is next with 11 first downs,
and all three of those receivers average over 11 plus yards a catch. Running back
Josh Jacobs has good hands and is in the mix with the other three to have been
targeted by Love on 6 of every 10 throws he makes. Kraft was recently placed on
injured reserve with a torn ACL, and Golden is listed as questionable with a shoulder
issue.
Jacobs is responsible for all 11 of the teams total rushing touchdowns,
which puts him near the top in the NFL. His career high was 15 last year and he's
on track to break that. Jacobs would sure like to assert himself in this game
with the Giants. Helping to secure a win would help make up for his costly fumble
last week near midfield, with only 1:30 remaining in their losing game in Green
Bay. Green Bay Packers
Defense
The defense was there last week,
allowing just 10 points to the Philadelphia Eagles, but the offense didn't do
their part and they took a loss. This tough defense has given up just 13 and 16
points in the teams other two losses. They were 6th in points allowed last year,
and are 7th now. The defense has shown to be very consistent, and has even improved
its passing and rushing defense rankings to 10th and 6th place.
Last week
they held Saquon Barkley to just 2.7 yards per carry and AJ Brown had just two
catches for 13 yards. Defensive ends Rashan Gary and Micah Parsons know how to
bring pressure. They are the sack leaders on the team, combining for 14 of the
teams 22 total sacks. They have good players in the secondary in the safety and
corner positions.
They'd like to improve in the turnover area. The team has
only 3 interceptions so far on the year compared to 17 last year. Former Giants
safety Xavier McKinney came up with 8 of those, and he has 2 this year. Safety
Evan Williams gets in on the tackles, and he has the teams only other interception.
They've also allowed tight ends to be successful at times, and that could be a
factor in this game. NY
Giants Offense
Offensive coordinator Mike
Kafka is now the interim head coach, following the firing of Brian Daboll on Monday.
Kafka elevated tight ends coach Tim Kelly to replace him in the coordinator spot.
Kafka will continue to call the plays as he has been doing. It will be interesting
to see if there will be any changes as to how he goes about that now, without
any influence or restrictions Daboll may have had in place.
One thing Kafka
changed on Wednesday is that the quarterback order will change. With rookie Jaxson
Dart in concussion protocol, it was decided early on that he would sit this next
game out. Kafka named Jameis Winston to be
the starter and Russell Wilson his backup. It makes sense to see what Winston
can do, especially since Wilson was unimpressive stepping in for Dart last week.
He did toss the ball to Devin Singletary, who ran it 41 yards on the drive that
ended with a field goal, but after that, not much. Wilson's totals, including
that drive and three more after it, were 7 passes for 3 completions for 45 yards.
Darius Slayton will be out for this game, and the Giants pulled former receiver
Isaiah Hodgins off the Steelers' practice squad. With Kelly being the offensive
coordinator it will be interesting to see if the tight ends will play an even
bigger role, being targeted by Winston. Giants
Defense
The Packers are struggling with
their offense. In their last two losses they've come up with a total of 20 points
against the Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles. Those two teams average
giving up 21 points a game. Can the Giants hold the Packers down as well? Things
haven't been going their way this year. Center Josh Myers was lost in free agency,
and left guard Elgton Jenkins switched to that position. Jenkins left during the
Monday night game with an ankle injury, and was placed on injured reserve the
next day. Jordan Love had to adjust to that, as well as seeing his top wide receiver
Romeo Doubs leave that game with a chest injury. Love's former top receiver Tucker
Kraft, was lost the week earlier, when he was injured early in the third quarter
of the Panthers game, suffering a torn ACL.
With things going the way they
are, it seems likely that the Packers will come in heavy with their rushing attack
against a Giants defense that hasn't handled that very well. The Giants are ranked
next to last in that area giving up 152 rushing yards a game. The Giants have
a number of defensive players listed as questionable for this game. Interim head
coach Mike Kafka has spent some time looking things over on the defensive side
as part of his new assignment. Maybe his offensive minded thoughts can be helpful
in what he sees from that perspective. Overall
Do these teams have anything in common? Well,
they both gave up 40 points in their games with the Dallas Cowboys earlier in
the season. The Giants fell short by three points and took a loss. The Packers
hit that mark and ended up with a tie. Another thing in common is they are both
on losing streaks. The Packers have lost the last two, and the Giants lead them
in that area (not a good thing) with three.
In this matchup on Sunday one
team will be off the losing track. I was careful not to say - get on a winning
track -because, well you get it, a tie is not a win or a loss. Just ask the Packers
and their fans how that feels after a game. The Giants have a new head coach and
quarterback, and that will either lead to a surprising success, or a doubling
down on how poorly this season has gone for them and their fans. NFC
East Games
Sunday at 9:30am Commanders
(3-7) at Dolphins (3-7).
Sunday at 1:00pm Packers (5-3-1) at Giants (2-8)
Sunday
at 8:20pm Lions (6-3) at Eagles (7-2)
Monday at 8:15pm Cowboys (3-5-1) at Raiders
(2-7)
The Eagles and Cowboys are the NFC East teams favored to win in these
games.
Check out.
Giants
On The Air. Listen to the Radio Broadcasts.
TeamGiants on Twitter.
Next Games
Nov
23 Giants at Lions
Dec 1 Giants at Patriots
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