New York Giants - Green Bay Packers Matchups to Watch

The Giants need a strong showing across the board to come out of the bye week with a victory, but in particular, they could use wins in these two matchups.

Author:
Hunter De Siver
Publish date:
Dec 9, 2023 12:00 PM EST

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New York Giants

Green Bay Packers

The New York Giants will face the Green Bay Packers in Week 14, hoping to spoil their three-game win streak.

This battle has several talented players matched against one another, making for some great entertainment. Still, these two particular matchups are among the key ones that could influence Monday night's outcome.

When the Giants Have the Ball

Rookie receiver Jalin Hyatt was among the most popular Giants at training camp this summer. The consensus around the Quest Diagnostics Training Center was that New York had found a future big-time duo in quarterback Daniel Jones and Hyatt.

However, the young third-rounder wasn't an immediate starter and didn't see much time on the field in the first quarter of the season. He gradually earned more snaps as the weeks went by, but Jones' injuries automatically eliminated the exciting duo dream until the next season.

Hyatt continued to show some flashes with backup Tyrod Taylor under center, but after his injury, it came down to third-string rookie Tommy DeVito. With DeVito starting, Hyatt was quiet against Dallas and Washington. But his offseason hype finally showed in Week 12's victory over the Patriots, as he collected career-highs in receptions (5) and yards (109), winning the NFC's Rookie of the Week.

The Giants may have won that game, but they only scored 10 points. Who knows what would've happened if Hyatt didn't have the best game of his young career?

New York will really need to utilize him against the Packers, who have won three consecutive games, including their previous two over the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs. The Giants have struggled to move the ball all season long, but Hyatt's small sample size of 19.4 yards per catch combined with his performance in Week 12 shows that he is the key to accomplishing this goal.

One problem that Hyatt may run into is Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander, the player who will likely be shadowing him for most of the night.

The two-time Pro Bowler has been widely regarded as one of the best defensive backs in the NFL for the past few seasons. He's one of those cornerbacks that if a receiver lines up against him, they won't see many balls thrown their way. Additionally, he's as fast as anybody, which has been hands down Hyatt's best-known trait since his collegiate days at Tennessee., which has been hands down Hyatt's best-known trait since his collegiate days at Tennessee.

Nevertheless, Alexander has missed the past four weeks due to a shoulder injury, but he participated in both Thursday and Friday's practices. Should he be able to go on Monday night, many signs point to Hyatt struggling.

However, Hyatt can find a way to outrun Alexander and surprise him with his shiftiness; the rookie can turn a lot of heads in prime time.

When the Packers Have the Ball

Packers first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love showed some flashes early in the season that helped his case as four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers' successor. However, he struggled up from weeks 4-10, as Green Bay logged a 1-5 record in that span.

Love has emerged once again throughout the three-game win streak, as he's thrown eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. He's more patient in the pocket than before but knows when to move out of it, and he makes smarter reads at all three levels of the field.

The Packers have evened out their record to 6-6, and with a win, they'll go above .500 for the first time since Week 3 (2-1) and remain in the NFC playoff picture. They have a ton of momentum heading into Monday night, but it's uncertain if wide receiver Christian Watson, their top deep threat, will play due to a hamstring injury.

Throughout the streak, Love has shown a lot of confidence when launching the ball dozens of yards downfield toward Watson's direction, but he didn't participate in practice on Thursday and Friday. That said, Love has done a very solid job of spreading the ball to receivers Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs, who are also deep threats.

Love will likely be throwing toward the Giants' safeties, and Xavier McKinney will need to be on his A-game regardless of whether or not Watson plays.

McKinney has been the anchor of the Giants defense practically since he was assigned the green dot back in 2021. The same goes for this season, as he's second on the team in tackles (86) and pass breakups (8) while also recording an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

If McKinney can discourage Love from going long, it will take out a crucial asset to the Packers' win streak. But if he lets Watson, Reed, or Doubs get into open space, Green Bay's offense could have a big night.