Five Bold Predictions For New York Giants at Las Vegas Raiders
The New York Giants are embarking on a three-game road trip, with their first stop in Las Vegas to take on the Raiders. The Raiders, who fired head coach Josh McDaniels earlier this week, are now led by former Giants middle linebacker Antonio Pierce.
Though this will mark Pierce’s first game as a head coach, and fittingly enough, against the team he spent five seasons with, there’s a lot more at stake here for both teams entering Week 9. The Giants at 2-6 are still in survivable mode as they aim to come away with their third win of the season, while the Raiders at 3-5 are trying to avoid a third straight loss.
This week, the Giants are a 1.5 underdog against the Raiders. But can they pull off the upset? Should the Giants fulfill these five bold predictions, they might have a chance at securing their third win.
WR Davante Adams Held to Under 75 Yards
This week, the Giants defense will face one of the best wide receivers in the NFL in Davante Adams. Rookie corner Deonte Banks figures to draw the assignment of trying to minimize Adams's damage.
In eight games played, Banks has allowed 55.1 percent of the pass targets against him (49) to be completed and has an interception. Over the last two weeks, Banks has yielded 196 yards on 24 pass completions.
With Adams expected to see an increase in his pass targets given the change at quarterback, Banks will seek to hold Adams, a three-time All-Pro talent, to a sixth straight game in which he has failed to top 75 receiving yards and record a touchdown catch.
Barkley Rushes for Second Straight 100+ yard performance.
Despite the return of starting quarterback Daniel Jones after three weeks, the expectation is that the Giants will once again lean heavily on running back Saquon Barkley to move the chains.
In his last three games, Barkley has received large workloads, finishing with a career-high in rushing attempts last week (36) for 128 yards. This week, they'll face a Raiders run defense that is 30th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (140.6) and 26th in rushing yards allowed per play (4.50).
If Barkley gets 20+ carries, which is feasible so long as the Giants stay in the game, hitting this prediction should be easy.
Giants Hold RB Josh Jacobs to Under 70 Rushing Yards
Last season, Raiders running back Josh Jacobs had a breakout performance. In 17 games played, Jacobs ran for a career-high 1,653 yards on 340 attempts with 12 rushing touchdowns. Averaging 4.9 yards per carry and 97.2 per game, Jacobs received his second Pro Bowl honor and was named All-Pro for the first time in his career.
Despite coming off such a big breakout season, the 2023 campaign for Jacobs has played out a lot differently. In eight games played, Jacobs is now only averaging 3.1 yards per rush attempt and 51.0 yards per game, as he hasn't been deployed nearly as much as he was in 2022 when he carried the ball 340 times. Jacobs is on pace to finish with 282 carries.
That said, the Giants run defense currently ranks 24th in rushing yards allowed per game (127.4) and 29th in rushing yards per attempt (4.76). However, the unit has played better of late--last week, it limited Jets running back Breece Hall to only 17 rushing yards on 12 carries.
Although Jacobs is one of the most dangerous running backs in the league, he’s only surpassed 70 rushing yards once in eight games played this season; again, that is due to limited carries. If the Giants can get ahead and turn the Raiders into a one-dimensional offense, this prediction has a good chance of coming true.
Daniel Jones Throws for 200+ yards and Zero Interceptions
After missing three games due to a neck injury, quarterback Daniel Jones is making his return on Sunday. Not only do the Giants have to come away with a win if they hope to turn things around, but Jones has to pick up his play, which so far this season has been below expectations.
Throwing for 200+ yards and no interceptions won't be easy against a Raiders defense that, in eight games, is ranked ninth in passing yards allowed per game (197.0), 11th in passing yards per play (6.25), and is tied for sixth in interceptions (6).
Jones has only thrown for 200+ yards twice this season and has had just one game without an interception (Week 5 vs. Miami). But as the Giants look to run a balanced offense (albeit one likely to favor the run), 200+ passing yards and no interceptions shouldn't be that hard to do, especially with offensive tackles Andrew Thomas and Evan Neal expected back.
Kayvon Thibodeaux Records A Sack in Third Consecutive Game
After a slow start to his second season, outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux has been a man on fire. He's already more than doubled the four sacks he had as a rookie, posting 8.5 sacks so far in eight games played, tying him in third in the league with Myles Garrett (Browns) and T.J. Watt (Steelers). And Thibodeaux is well on his way to becoming the first defender on a Wink Martindale defense to reach double-digits in the sack department.
In his last two games, Thibodeaux has 4.5 sacks. He's looking to make it three straight games with at least a sack against a Raiders offensive line that is third in the league in pressures allowed (63) and seventh in pass-blocking efficiency rating (86.6). Still, Las Vegas has posted the fifth-highest sacks total in the league (15), so it will be interesting to see if Thibodeaux can break free to add to his impressive sack total this season.
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