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Giants (2-9) vs Raiders (5-6)
Last Sunday the Raiders and Broncos fought it out in Oakland in more ways than
one. A physical fight broke out and three players were ejected from the game.
The Raiders went on to win 21-14.
In their game, the Giants struggled to put
points up on the board. Even with their defense scoring a touchdown, they came
up short, losing to the Redskins 20-10.
Giants
- Redskins Wrap-Up Oakland
Raiders
Head coach Jack Del Rio took a team
that had won only four games in 2012 and 2013, and three in 2014 to the playoffs
in two years. The Raiders hadn't been there since 2002. It was a decent start
in 2015 with 7 wins, and that became 12 in 2016. Starting quarterback Derek Carr
suffered a broken leg in the last game of the season. The Raiders went on to lose
their wildcard game the following week in Houston with a 27-14 score.
Overall
the team is not doing as well as it had. Defense had been a sore spot over the
two years and just a few weeks ago, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. was replaced
by assistant head coach John Pagano. The offense has also been struggling, and
some think that offensive coordinator Todd Downing might not last the year. The
good news for the team is that they are 5-6. The division leading Kansas City
Chiefs are in range at 6-5, and the Raiders have beaten them once. Oakland
Raiders Offense
With
a strong offensive line supporting running back Latavius Murray,who averaged 4
yards a carry, they finished last season as the 6th best rushing team in the NFL.
They have since replaced Murray with Marshawn Lynch, who was the workhorse last
week, rushing for a season-high 26 carries and one touchdown against a strong
run defense. Quarterback Derek Carr threw the ball only 24 times in their win
over Denver after losing his two top receivers during the game.
Early on Michael
Crabtree was ejected after he got into an altercation with Denver cornerback Aqib
Talib (also ejected). Then, Amari Cooper left with a concussion in the first half
after being hurt on an illegal hit. They may stick with a heavy running game as
Crabtree is serving a one-game suspension, and Cooper is still in the concussion
protocol. Receivers Seth Roberts and Coradelle Patterson will have to step up,
as well as tight end Jared Cook, who caught only one of the five passes intended
for him. Cook will likely have more opportunity this week, as the Giants have
a soft spot for opposing tight ends. Oakland
Raiders Defense
Last
week the defense got down to business. It may not sound like much, but they got
their first interception of the season to stop the Broncos from scoring from Oakland's
1-yard line. They also came up with five sacks after entering the game with 14,
the fewest in the league. In their win over Denver, the Raiders allowed a season-low
219 yards of total offense.
The Raiders had some extra homework to do when
they suddenly found out that the Giants would be switching quarterbacks. Scrap
the Eli Manning notes and dig up what you can on Geno Smith. In his first start
he's likely not changing plays right before the snap as much Manning would. If
Smith sees trouble he'll more likely run from it, and that could be a trap.
Defensive end Khalil Mack with 6 1/2 sacks will be up against Giants right tackle
Chad Wheeler making just his third NFL start. Left tackle Ereck Flowers struggled
last game, and he's up against linebacker Bruce Irvin, who had two sacks in the
Broncos game. Starting cornerback David Amerson might be back for this game to
help a defense that allows quarterbacks to complete a league-high 70.8 percent
of passes. Giants Offense
What
will the Giants offense look like without Eli Manning taking the starting snaps?
That's the question that's on everyone's minds as the players and fans try to
digest this new situation. Ben McAdoo has decided that the Giants need to see
what Geno Smith can do for the Giants. Smith offers more mobility and may have
a stronger arm. Getting the ball in the right place at the right time is also
very important, so we'll have to see how this all works out.
Sterling Shepard
will be back after recovering from migraine headaches. The last time he was available
Manning hit him on 11 of 13 passes for 142 yards. Evan Engram caught 6 of 9 for
31 yards and one touchdown. In the last two games without Shepard, Engram has
drawn more attention from defenses and his production has sunk. After catching
a touchdown pass in four straight games, he has caught just four of 13 for 27
yards over the past two games, including three dropped passes during the last
game loss to the Redskins.
Smith will have
the benefit of both receivers playing together, though he will still have to figure
out how to be efficient behind the Giants ever changing offensive line. The running
game could get a boost as Smith could fake some handoffs to his running backs
and take off himself. That's something that defenses will now have to respect.
Let's hope all of Smith's running won't be just trying to evade linebacker Bruce
Irvin. Giants Defense
They
catch a break with the Raiders spotting them their two top receivers. They still
have to deal with running back Marshawn Lynch, and tight end Jared Cook. This
defense struggles against tight ends. They had allowed a tight end to score a
touchdown in each of their first nine games. They finally stopped that from happening
in the last two. This week expect Cook
to be a featured target.
Lynch will be the other big problem for the Giants
to solve in this game. He's not easy to bring down, and the Raiders will be leaning
heavily on him. If the Giants offense can't sustain some meaningful drives Lynch's
running will wear the defense out.
Safety Landon Collins has been playing
well, but the whole secondary took a big hit
when the Giants had to place cornerback Janoris
Jenkins on injured reserve. Jenkins had three
interception this season, returning two of them for touchdowns. They have Eli
Apple, who was a starter, but he's been inactive
for the past two games, so you don't know how to figure that will work out. Overall
Will
Geno Smith give the Giants a better chance than Eli Manning to win in this game?
Smith has mobility and will have both Sterling Shepard and tight end Evan Engram
at his disposal. After that he'll be stuck with trying to find open receivers
as the pocket collapses, the same way it does on Manning. Then there's the thought
of the Giants defense not playing an inspired game, which happens at times.
The
only thing the Giants have going for them is that the Raiders might be looking
ahead to next week when they play the Kansas City Chiefs. They need to gain ground
on the division leader, and have already beaten them once. The Raiders playing
poorly is the Giants best hope. NFC
East Games
Thursday at 4:30pm - Redskin
14 Cowboys 38.
Sunday at 4:25pm Giants (2-9) at Raiders (5-6).
Sunday at
8:30pm Eagles (10-1) at Seahawks (7-4).
The Eagles and Redskins were the
NFC East teams favored to win in these games.
Check out.
Giants
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TeamGiants on Twitter.
Notes.
Giants
were eliminated from the playoffs last week.
Giants
have used 8 different starting offensive lineups, tying them with Green Bay for
the NFL season high. Giants Eli Manning
will not be the starting quarterback for the first time since November 14, 2004. Giants
Eli Manning's streak of 210 consecutive starts (2nd most in NFL history) will
come to an end. Giants will make their
final visit to Oakland before the Raiders move to Las Vegas in 2020. Giants
Geno Smith is 12-18 as a starter, including going 2-0 in his career against the
Raiders.
Next Games
Dec 10 Cowboys at Giants.
Giants Tickets - Buy
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Dec 17 Eagles at Giants.
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