Too close to call.
After the way things have gone this week in the political arena, it would be nice if the same could be said in the sports arena about the Giants and Rams game. They are, after all, both 7-2 teams, and you don't get closer than that, or do you? Ram fans would be quick to point out that the Giants "haven't beaten anyone of substance", especially since they were hit with very similar sounding phrases, each time their team played last year.
Asked about the game, and the attitude towards the Giants record, head coach Jim Fassel says, "I remember last year, when we played the Rams, the one question everyone was asking was 'Who had they beaten?' We were just another team they were supposed to beat. And that kept up until they made their march through the playoffs."
The odds makers have the Rams favored by about 2 points which is a lot closer than anyone would have thought it would come down to when these two teams were first listed as opponents.

The big game.
This is the big one, the game that made Giants fans take notice when they saw the schedule for the first time. Mostly everyone was glad that it was way far down the line in November. You could forget about it for a long while and hope that the Giants, coming off a 7-9 season, would somehow improve enough by then, not to be totally embarrassed in the game. Well, things seem to have worked out. The Giants already have as many wins as they totaled all of last year. They have a highly rated defense, especially against the run, and an offense that can be extremely effective both running and passing. The biggest knock is that sometimes the offense needs a kick start, and sometimes all the kicking in the world doesn't help.
For this game the Rams are spotting us a couple of players, like star running back Marshall Faulk, and quarterback Kurt Warner. We'll take it, all the better. It wouldn't be surprising if some other players with even minor cuts and bruises felt like taking the week off, looking at the level of competition they feel they will be facing. From the Rams standpoint, they see a team that's nowhere near them in the powerhouse scoring range, and despite saying nice things for the press, will probably be thinking "What me worry?"

Rams offense - Giants star makers
Opposing defenses are really off balance with Marshall Faulk in the game, and without him, the job does get a bit easier. Last week, going without Faulk, the Rams offense lost 2 fumbles, allowed 5 sacks, and could not run the ball using Justin Watson. Of course, this lack of a running game forced Trent Green to throw for a career-high 431 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Trent, who threw for 29 completions on 42 tries, actually has a higher quarterback rating (113.8) than Kurt Warner (111.6).
He knows the Giants too. Remember, he used to play for the Redskins, and has played in Giants Stadium. Trent completed 17-of-25 passes for 208 yards and two TDs, all in the 2nd half when he came in to replace an injured Gus Frerotte in the Redskins 1998 season opener against the Giants. It was a big deal for Trent to get in that game. He held backup status only because of a previous injury to Jeff Hostetler (remember?).
Danny Kanell was our quarterback at the time, and the Giants won that game 31-24, with 21 of those 31 points coming off of turnovers.
Trent Green led the Redskins to a win over the Giants later in that same season, going 21-of-31 for 225 yards and 1TD. That was a big game for Stephen Davis, who barely played back then. He entered the game with just 8 carries for 25 yards, replacing injured starting running back Terry Allen. Davis caught five passes for 65 yards, including a 12-yard TD pass from Trent Green.
The Giants have a way of shining the spotlight on opposing players. The Rams plan to use their first-round pick, speedy running back Trung Canidate in this game. Trung has been plagued with injuries on and off. Hopefully, he or Justin Watson won't be discovered in this game to be the "new" Stephen Davis or Marshall Faulk.

Rams receivers.
Trent Green would only be a backup quarterback on a team like the Rams. He knows what he's doing, and has big-play receivers like Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, and Az Hakim, and a few others at his disposal. Isaac Bruce has more yards (1,019) than Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard combined (1,005). Jason Sehorn said, "They just can run faster than everybody and throw the ball farther than most people."
The Giants are second in the league in stopping the run. Without Faulk, they have the chance to put some added pressure on Trent Green. That would be a big help for the secondary, which will probably put Jason Sehorn on Isaac Bruce, Dave Thomas against Torry Holt, and the physical Emmanuel McDaniel left to work against Az-Zahir Hakim. I don't know who will cover Ricky Proehl, or how long Jason Sehorn will hold up, playing for the first time after coming off a broken rib injury. This is a tough, speedy bunch and the slow grass turf at Giants Stadium could provide a slight help for the Giants.
What they really need is a big pressure game from the front four, mixing things up and keeping Trent Green guessing. The Giants have to gamble and overrun the Rams front line, even if it means proving wrong at times, and giving up some extra ground yardage to the fill-ins. It won't really hurt them compared to the benefits that could be gained by getting to Trent Green hard and fast all day long.

Some interesting stats.
Marshall Faulk has 142 carries for 771 yards for a 5.4 yard average.
Tiki Barber has 114 carries for 621 yards, also for a 5.4 yard average.
Marshall Faulk has 48 catches for 555 yards for a 11.6 yard average.
Tiki Barber has 36 catches for 353 yards for a 9.8 yard average.
Someone reading those stats might wonder if the Giants should be using Tiki much more than they do, but think again. It's a long football season, and Tiki is still playing, while Faulk has had to call it quits for now. The Giants split the running duties between Tiki Barber and rookie Ron Dayne. The Giants are in a much better position having developed Dayne to the stage he's at now, compared to the Rams fill-in running back, Justin Watson. Dayne has had 148 carries this year compared to Watson's 34, 12 of which came just last week for a total of 12 yards.

Rams on defense.
In the losses to the two good teams this season, Washington and Tennessee, the Giants couldn't move the ball. The Rams on the other hand, can't stop teams from moving the ball. The Rams defense ranks 22nd in the NFL. Their run defense stat looks pretty good because it's based on total yardage. They're ranked 5th, but that's because opposing teams fall behind and have to give up on the run. They actually give up 4.4 yards per carry.
The Giants offense is ranked 3rd in the NFL, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. That sounds like a good matchup, and the Giants should go with it.
I'm looking for the Giants to hit the Rams hard on the ground with Barber and Dayne, while mixing it up with some short stuff to fullback Greg Comella, and Barber, and maybe dare I say, tight end Pete Mitchell. Doesn't he still play for us? There's no need to go deep except for the sure stuff. Giving the Rams offense extra chances on the field with turnovers and interceptions is a big no-no.
Also, the Rams have 9 interceptions this season, compared to the Giants 12. That says something about a defense, considering that most all teams playing against the Rams are playing catchup, and from a deep deficit. They also haven't held any team to under 20 points and are on pace to give up a Rams record 496 points, or more than double their total amount from a year ago. The Giants on offense can't get off to a slow start here, and they shouldn't against a defense that's given up the most points in the NFL.

What the Giants need.
A win of course, and the credibility that would go with it. So far the Giants have beaten opponents with poor records. The only team above .500 was Philadelphia, who they beat twice and have beaten regularly over the past four years. The Giants are playing their best football right now, but that was also the case last year when they faced off against the Rams.
The Giants were coming off big wins over the Jets and Bills, but the Rams brought them back to Earth, winning 31-10 in St. Louis last December. The Giants gave up 412 yards of offense and allowed AZ Hakim to turn a short catch into a 65-yard touchdown pass. Still, it pays to mention that the Rams got only 17 points on offense. Their other two touchdowns came on interception returns.
Now, both teams are 7-2, and the Giants have to feel good going into this game at home. They're on a four game winning streak, while the Rams, who three weeks ago were unbeaten, picked up those two losses in their last three games. If the Giants can hold the Rams to limited drives early on, they could make the visiting Superbowl champions feel like they just can't do it without Marshall Faulk. It's no fun as it is playing an away-game in a non domed stadium, on damp grass, and having that self doubt set in. The Giants fans will be cheering loudly for their team in this one.
Remember guys, even if the Giants are able to beat the Rams, they'll still hear that they did it against a watered-down version, lacking Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner.

What can hurt the Giants.
Until last week, the Rams had scored at least 30 points in their last 14 regular-season games, an NFL record. So what else can hurt the Giants? Aside from the obvious Rams passing game against our weak secondary, every week it's the same thing. The Giants have to worry about special teams play. One good note here is that the Rams are in the same boat. Their special teams coverage isn't so special either. Will they cancel each other out? It could look like a Rugby game out there on punts and kickoff returns.

Injuries: GIANTS: DOUBTFUL: WR Ron Dixon (foot); RB Joe Montgomery (thigh); LB Brandon Short (ankle). PROBABLE: TE Dan Campbell (concussion); LB Jack Golden (neck); T Luke Petitgout (thigh); CB Jason Sehorn (rib); C Dusty Zeigler (knee/ankle).
RAMS: OUT: RB Marshall Faulk (knee); QB Kurt Warner (finger). DOUBTFUL: CB Todd Lyght (hamstring). QUESTIONABLE: RB Robert Holcombe (hamstring); K Jeff Wilkins (quadricep). PROBABLE: RB James Hodgins (calf); T Andy McCollum (ankle).

Notes
Rams are averaging an amazing 39.3 points per game.

Giants have given up just 30 points in their last four games.

Rams have given up 134 points in their last four games.

Rams have turned over the ball on their first possession in the last 3 games.

Rams have allowed 33 touchdowns in their nine games.

Rams have scored 354 points in 9 games, and need 202 over the next 7 to tie the NFL total season record of 556 set by the 1998 Minnesota Vikings.

Next Game
Nov 19, Detroit at Giants, 1PM FOX

For those very organized fans.
If you use a Palm Pilot and want to keep the Giants schedule, and actually, the whole NFL schedule on it, there is a free download available here at PFL.

Last Week's review, Giants 24, Brown 3

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