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Giants (0-5) vs Broncos (3-1)
Denver
is coming off their bye week. They had wins against the Chargers and Cowboys,
followed by a loss to the Bills. That was their only game away from the stadium
to date. Their last game right before the bye was a 16-10 win playing at home
against the Raiders.
The Giants lost more than just a game last week playing
against the Chargers. Four wide receivers went down as the Giants gave up a fourth
quarter lead once again, to lose their fifth straight game of the season
27-22.
Giants
- Chargers Wrap-Up
Denver
Broncos
The Broncos were the big winners
in Super Bowl 50, then last year a 9-6 record didn't get them into the playoffs.
They're playing strong now in 2017 and have a 3-1 record, but are already looking
up to the leader in their AFC West division, the Kansas City Chiefs who have started
at 5-0. The Chiefs took the division last year, and have already beaten some tough
teams the Broncos have yet to face.
After last season head coach Gary Kubiak
retired due to health concerns. Vance Joseph became the 16th head coach in the
history of the franchise. Mike McCoy was the offensive coordinator from 2009-2012.
After four years serving as the San Diego Chargers head coach, he was brought
in to do that once again. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was replaced by
Joe Woods, and the major change on defense was going from man-to-man, to utilizing
zone coverage. Both Joseph and Woods were former defensive back coaches, and they
felt that would work better for the players. Denver
Broncos Offense
The
offensive line was not that good last year and they made a number of changes.
Picking up free agent guard Ron Leary was a definite boost, and they drafted left
tackle Garett Bolles 20th overall last spring. The rookie has been tested by some
aggressive pass rushers and has held up well. Quarterback Trevor Siemian wants
to get the ball to wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders more,
but the two (each over 1000 yards last season) draw a lot of coverage. In their
last game they combined for just five catches and 38 yards.
The offense will
take what it can get though, and after four games they have 572 yards on the ground,
averaging 143 yards per game for third-best in the NFL. That's helped them be
in the league's top 10 in third-down conversions, and number 4 in time of possession.
That said, they are the worst team in getting third-down conversions in the fourth
quarter where it can really make a difference. Their most recent problem has been
getting a touchdown in the red zone, and Siemian has had just one passing touchdown
in the past two games. Denver
Broncos Defense
They
were tied for third place in sacks last season, and the passing defense was ranked
at the number one spot in the NFL last year. In corresponding fashion, they were
fourth in points allowed. All good except for the giving up yardage on the ground
- 130 per game for the number 28 spot. How are they doing now? So far after four
games mostly all the good remains, and they've shown a tremendous improvement
against the run. They rank first in the league in that area allowing just 50.8
yards a game. If you had a chance to watch their game with the Cowboys, you might
recall that Ezekiel Elliott was shut down badly, with just nine carries for eight
yards.
As for passing defense, outside linebacker
Von Miller has four sacks this season,
and he will be up against Bobby
Hart and Ereck Flowers. Miller's biggest problem will be more with Eli Manning's
quick release than with those two. That could lead to big opportunities for the
Broncos secondary, working against a hurriedly put together group of untested
receivers. Giants Offense
Last week's game with the Chargers took
a big toll on the Giants, and Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall and Dwayne Harris
are done for the season. Also, running back
Paul Perkins (ribs), center Weston Richburg (concussion), and wide receiver Sterling
Shepard (ankle) have all been ruled out for Sunday’s game with the Broncos. It's
all on Eli Manning now, trying to make things work with a new cast of starting
receivers. Roger Lewis, Travis Rudolph, Tavarres King, and Ed Eagan will be eager
to show if they can deliver.
Last year Lewis had 7 receptions for 4 first
downs and 2 touchdowns. Manning hit Lewis for a touchdown last week to go along
with his 4 first downs on 8 receptions in the first five games. King beat out
all the receivers on the team last year with his 25 yard average per catch - too
bad he had only two of them. Victor Cruz was next, averaging 15 yards a catch,
but he's not here now. Tight ends Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison should play a
bigger role this game, both with blocking and as receivers.
McAdoo has maintained
a 2-1 pass to run ratio. The running game showed some promise last week, and now
Ben McAdoo will be forced to use it more than he usually would. Orleans Darkwa
is a strong runner, and the Giants will likely start him to help wear down the
Denver defense for as long as he can last and be efficient. That will make it
easier for Wayne Gallman to step in. As usual, Shane Vereen will be in this mix
as a nice pass-run option for Manning. Giants
Defense
Expectations
were high coming off last year's results, but the unit is not getting it done
in most all areas. This season with their offense scoring about three points less
a game (16.4), they're giving up about seven more (24.4). The injured who will
be out for this game, are linebacker Jonathan Casillas (neck), defensive ends
Romeo Okwara (knee), and Olivier Vernon (ankle). Safety Landon Collins (ankle)
is listed as questionable. The Giants will
also be without cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie who is on indefinite suspension
for violating team rules. Cornerback Eli Apple sat out the first three drives
in last week's game for what was rumored to be poor conduct in practice, so there's
a bit of unrest and dissension going on in the Giants secondary.
Last week
Jason Pierre-Paul had two penalties for lining up in the neutral zone. That didn't
help their cause against the Chargers. Although there were no sacks in the game,
the defense got some good pressure on Philip Rivers who was able to make plays
when he needed to, but young quarterback Trevor Siemian has a lot to learn before
he can handle things as well as Rivers. The Giants might see some opportunities
in this game, and it would be a shame if they couldn't capitalize on them, because
the head coach sacrificed the secondary to playing without one of their top cornerbacks. Overall
The
Giants take their show on the road, and it has become quite the show. This week
all the talk has been about players placed on injured reserve, and of them suspending
one of their top defensive players. The Broncos have won all three home games
and are coming off a bye week. I doubt anyone would pick the Giants to win this
game. As we said, it's all on Eli Manning to have this team put up a dignified
level of competition. NFC
East Games
Thursday at 8:30pm Eagles (4-1)
at Panthers (4-1) - Final Score Eagles 28 - Panthers 23
Sunday at 1:00pm 49ers
(0-5) at Redskins (2-2)
Sunday at 8:30pm Giants (0-5) at Broncos (3-1)
The Redskins are the only NFC East team favored to win in these games.
Notes.
Giants
had their best rushing performance of the season last Sunday (152 yards). Giants
cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (suspended this game) played for the Broncos
in 2013. Broncos have forced teams to
punt on their opening possession in all four games. Broncos
Von Miller was named the most valuable player in Super Bowl 50.
Check out.
Giants
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Next Games
Oct 22 Seahawks at Giants.
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