Behind Enemy Lines: Giants Won't Roll Over for Chiefs on Monday Night Football
Ahead of Monday night's primetime matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants, Patricia Traina of Giants Country answered five questions about the current state of the Giants and what New York will bring to Arrowhead Stadium for Monday Night Football. Head over to Giants Country and follow Patricia on Twitter for more Giants coverage.
Now for five questions with the "enemy," Patricia Traina, getting to know where the Giants stand after their 2-5 start, fresh off a 25-3 victory over the Carolina Panthers last week.
1. How is year three going for Daniel Jones?
It’s going well, actually. He’s making better decisions and more of the big-boy throws that you expect NFL starting quarterbacks to make. The Giants have also tapped into his mobility via RPOs and designed rollouts and boots, and that’s paid off for him. Considering he’s yet to have his full plethora of playmakers so far, I think it’s safe to say that Jones is stepping up as expected in his third NFL season.
2. How much pressure is there on Joe Judge and David Gettleman right now?
I would say there’s more pressure on Gettleman than Judge at the moment. I know that sounds weird since usually the head coach and general manager are married, but if we are to believe Giants team ownership that they are willing to be a bit more patient with Judge and give him longer than the two years Ben McAdoo and Pat Shurmur got, then Judge is safe for this year, regardless of how things turn out.
Gettleman is a different story. He’s had four years not to fix this franchise, and not one of those years was a winning record. The offensive line is still an issue and right now this team is looking at salary cap hell next year if they don’t make the playoffs because they mortgaged the future to buy mulligans for the continued whiffs in the draft process. If the Giants don’t make the playoffs, I wouldn’t be stunned if Gettleman and the team mutually agree to separate after this season.
3. Who's the biggest weapon on the Giants' offense (not counting Jones)?
Right now I would say receiver Kadarius Toney, assuming he’s healthy this week to play (he has an ankle injury). Defenders, secure your ankles because this Toney kid has already shown he’s capable of breaking a few ankles. He’s also a former high school quarterback, and the Giants aren’t above having him execute a trick play or two. So that would definitely be someone to keep an eye on—again, if he’s healthy and plays.
4. What can the Chiefs expect from the Giants' defense?
Based on how the season has gone, I’m guessing the Giants defense will try to keep everything in front of them which means the middle of the field could be there for the taking. The Giants have been playing a lot of off-man coverage this season, which I think is counterproductive to what they do best (man-press), and it’s a big reason why the pass defense has been so poor.
5. What's the biggest strength of this team, and can they use it to pull off the upset?
The biggest strength, I would say, is the offense—I know, weird right? After all, this unit is missing its top playmakers in Saquon Barkley and Kenny Golladay with Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney questionable, but I’d give this unit the nod because of how well Daniel Jones has played and how opposing defenses now need to account for him as a runner. I think the Giants should be able to keep up with the Chiefs in a scoring shootout—my only concern is whether the Giants defense can keep pace.
