Giants (2-12) vs Cardinals (6-8) Last
week the Cardinals lost to the Redskins 20-15. Kirk Cousins threw two touchdowns
in the game for Washington, and Arizona struggled on offense, with all their points
coming off five field goals. The Giants got off to a good start last Sunday
against the Eagles, but they couldn't keep it going. Leading at one point in the
second quarter 20-7, they saw things turn in the second half, and took a 34-29
loss.
Giants
- Eagles Wrap-Up Arizona
Cardinals How does a team ranked 9th in
total offense, 2nd in defense and 1st in the number of sacks, end up with a 7-8-1
record? That's what happened to Bruce Arians Cardinals in 2016. As you might guess
from the tie, they lost a number of close games. The special teams unit was a
big problem, and even that one tie would have been a win if their kicker hadn't
missed on a 24 yard field goal attempt. This year they've had a new set of
problems, injuries. Starting quarterback Carson Palmer and running back David
Johnson are not playing. Johnson suffered a wrist injury in the first game of
the season, and Palmer broke his left arm in game seven. They relied on Adrian
Peterson for a heavy running game following that, and he carried the ball a career-high
37 times for 159 yards. Peterson is now on injured reserve due to a neck injury.
Last week's loss eliminated the Cardinals from the playoffs.
Arizona Cardinals
Offense The question is where is it? Last
week they lost with Phil Dawson kicking five field goals. The week before they
won with him kicking four to beat the Titans 12-7. They have not scored a touchdown
since the second quarter of their game just before that against the Rams. Filling
in for injured quarterback Carson Palmer, backup Drew Stanton lasted just two
games before he was hurt. Blaine Gabbert took over, looked good at first, but
after five games he has six touchdowns, six interceptions, two lost fumbles and
been hit for 23 sacks. Last week with two new offensive linemen starting, Gabbert
took 5 sacks, and they went 4-of-19 on third downs. Stanton was named the starter
for this game with the Giants, even while he's still recovering from his sprained
knee injury. The Cardinals were terrible all six times in the red zone last week,
and the hope is that Stanton's experience will make a difference. Larry Fitzgerald
is once again the top receiver. No one on the team comes close to his 92 receptions
(tied for 4th in the NFL) for 982 yards and 5 touchdowns. Fitzgerald's done all
this while adjusting to three different quarterbacks throwing the ball to him
this season. Arizona Cardinals
Defense As we mentioned earlier, this defense
was dominant last year, and they have tried to continue that trend despite not
having five starters returning. They've improved over the season, and have played
particularly well in the last six games, trying to save the season while their
offense struggles. Last week the Cardinals held Washington to just 31 rushing
yards, and over the last four games, held each opponent to under 100 rushing yards
and 34 percent or less on third downs. The Cardinals have more than a decent
pass rush using outside linebacker Chandler Jones. He has nearly half the team's
total sacks with 15, and is the leader in the NFL with that number. Jones also
leads the league in tackles for a loss (25), and in quarterback hits (30). Eli
Manning is not elusive, but he is quick, so it falls more on the Cardinals secondary
to keep him in check. In that area, it should be noted that last year the Cardinals
were confident enough to make Tyrann Mathieu the highest paid safety in the NFL.
In this game, veteran cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Tramon Williams will be
covering their less experienced counterparts, wide receivers Sterling Shepard,
and Roger Lewis. Giants
Offense They showed some spark last week
in the game with the Eagles, but it mostly faded out in the second half of that
game. While the Giants have averaged just 16.3 points a game this season, they
scored a total of 29. They will need a spark to turn into a raging fire this week
against a Cardinals defense that has put things together over the past few weeks.
They have been especially good against the run, and the Giants didn't do all that
well with that last week. Orleans Darkwa gained only 7 yards on 9 carries. Wayne
Gallman did better with his 8 carries for 39 yards, so the Cardinals might see
more of him. Once again it will be the same formula for Eli Manning, getting
rid of the ball quickly, and relying on Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram. Shepard
had 11 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. It also means Manning
throwing short passes to his running backs, while looking to make the connection
to Roger Lewis (4-of-10 last week). He did hit Tavarres King with 2 out of 3 passes
that both went for touchdowns. King might be the better target, but he's listed
as out for this game (concussion). Giants
Defense You never know what you can expect
from a defense that can play lock down hard, and then give up big plays for seemingly
no reason at all. The quarterback they're up against, Drew Stanton, has had
two starts this season and has completed just 50.6 percent of his passes for 474
yards, with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Still, he'll be throwing to
Larry Fitzgerald, who catches about 7 of the 10 passes that come his way each
game. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Eli Apple will have to be on the same page
covering him. The Cardinals have had good results
using undrafted rookie Ricky Seals-Jones in the past five games. Safety Landon
Collins is playing through his ankle injury, and will have to be careful with
the former college receiver - turned tight end. Because of injuries, running
back Kerwynn Williams became the starter in week 13, but he has missed practice
this week. If he doesn't play, the Cardinals may be fielding their fifth different
starting running back. Either way, Damon Harrison is tough against the run, and
he and Jason Pierre-Paul are up against a shaky offensive line. Linebacker BJ
Goodson is out for this game, and Pierre-Paul says he plans to play despite having
a broken finger on his right hand. Romeo Okwara was activated from the injured
reserve return list, and possibly could help in the defensive end rotation as
he had been doing. Overall If
it's about motivation, both teams seem to have that the way they've been playing.
The Giants have been out of the playoffs for a while now, and have gotten used
to playing with that thought off their minds. While it's a new development for
the Cardinals, they likely saw it coming, and this will be their last game of
the season in front of their hometown fans. The Cardinals this week had four
players named to the Pro Bowl, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, outside linebacker
Chandler Jones, cornerback Patrick Peterson, and special teamer Budda Baker. Safety
Landon Collins was the only Giants player to make the Pro Bowl selection. Can
either team feed off the recognition shown to their teammates? A big play here
and there and this game could go either way, but you have to give a slight edge
to the Cardinals. NFC East
Games Sunday at 1:00pm Broncos (5-9) at
Redskins (6-8). Sunday at 4:25pm Seahawks (8-6) at Cowboys (8-6). Sunday
at 4:25pm Giants (2-12) at Cardinals (6-8). Monday at 8:30pm Raiders (6-8)
at Eagles (12-2). The Redskins, Cowboys and Eagles are the NFC East teams
favored to win in these games. Check
out. Giants
On The Air. Listen to the Radio Broadcasts. Giants
DVDs and Posters.
TeamGiants on Twitter.
Notes. Giants
quarterback depth remains the same: Eli Manning, Geno Smith and Davis Webb (inactive). Giants
have averaged just 4.9 yards per play this season. Giants
Jason Pierre-Paul has played 91.1 percent of the snaps this season, 2nd among
defensive linemen. Giants rank last in
the NFL in total yardage and passing touchdowns allowed, and 28th in points allowed.
Giants have never lost more than 12 games
- 1966, 1974, 1980, 1983, and 2003.
Next Game Dec 31 Redskins at Giants.
Giants Tickets - Buy
or Sell
|
Go Giants! #1 Fan Charm Bracelet 13 magnificently
crafted charms, plated with 24K gold and sterling silver. Genuine SwarovskiŽ crystals Officially
licensed by the NFL. Gift box. Go
Giants! #1 Fan Charm Bracelet |
|
|