New York Giants Storylines Ahead of MNF Game vs. Dallas

Let's see what's on tap as far as story lines for the Giants in Week 3 of the 2022 NFL season.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Sep 21, 2022 8:00 AM EDT

In this story:

New York Giants

Dallas Cowboys

There will be no shortage of storylines Monday night when the New York Giants host the Dallas Cowboys for Monday Night Football.

The Giants enter Week 3 of the NFL season with a 2-0 record for the first time since 2016 and will be looking to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2009 when they started that season 5-0.

Head Coach Brian Daboll is the fourth head coach in Giants' history to win his first two games. It is the Giants’ first Monday night game since November 22, 2021, and their first in MetLife Stadium since November 2, 2020. Their opponent in each of those games was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Let's look at some of the many storylines expected to unfold leading up to the game.

Will Leonard Williams play?

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams has always taken pride in his availability, and that was never more evident than last year when, in a lost season, he played through a painful triceps injury.

However, his iron man streak is in jeopardy. Williams suffered a sprained MCL last week, which is not a season-ending injury but could be a week-to-week affair (Daboll characterized it as "day to day," as he's done with all injuries.)

With the MCL, it could be a matter of pain tolerance, and Williams, as previously noted, has shown he has a high pain threshold. So, could he play Monday night? It's possible, but unlikely, something even Daboll had to admit.

"He said he feels a lot better than he did yesterday. He’s walking around, so we’ll just take it like we normally do with these things each day. So, hopefully, he’s a fast healer," he said.

What About the Pass Rushers?

Kayvon Thibodeaux is going into Week 4 dealing with a sprained MCL. Last week he said he was feeling a lot better and was even optimistic about playing, but once he landed on the injury report as doubtful, it was clear he wasn't ready. With the Cowboys having a rookie offensive tackle on their line, getting Thibodeaux back would be a plus for the defense.

The same could be said about Azeez Ojulari, who is still dealing with a calf strain. Ojulari is thought to be behind Thibodeaux in terms of his recovery, but how much he can do in practice this week will be very telling.

What is CB Aaron Robinson's Status?

Aaron Robinson was spotted moving around at last weekend's game, just days after having an appendectomy. If his procedure was arthroscopic--and judging by the fact that he was up and about, it's clear it was--and he had no complications, there is an outside chance he'll be ready for Monday's game. However, it's probably more likely the Giants will hold him until the following week against the Bears.

Which Receiver(s) Will Be Left Out of the Game Plan This Week?

In Week 1, Kadarius Toney barely got any action. Last week it was Kenny Golladay. Which receiver will it be this week?

That depends on the game plan the coaches draw up but more so on what the players do in practice.

"Regardless of where you’re drafted, how you got here, how much money you make, we believe in everybody goes out there and competes, and we play the guys that earn the right to play that week," Daboll said.

And not for nothing, but the reaction of some regarding the decisions made concerning personnel is a bit surprising, considering it wasn't that long ago people were grumbling over how underperforming draft picks were put on scholarship for years. So shouldn't making the players earn their snaps be the way to go?

How Do the Giants Slow Down Micah Parsons?

Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons is a nightmare, plain and simple. Containing him is even more of a nightmare, given that he lines up all over the formation and is just as effective no matter what.

Parsons currently leads the NFL with 4.0 sacks and is on a quest to win the "Defensive Player of the Year" award. He'll likely see most of his snaps against the Giants tackles--and my guess is he goes against Evan Neal more than Andrew Thomas. But he could also get involved with some inside stunts to test the Giants shaky interior.

Will the Giants have a tight end or running back chip away at Parsons to slow him down? They might have to.

Can the Offense Get Off to a Faster Start?

The Giants offense hasn't been bad this year, but it still needs a lot of work, particularly in starting a lot faster than it has.

Through two games, the Giants have been outscored 19-6 in the first 30 minutes. That's not going to cut it if the Giants ever want to advance into the same discussion as some of the perennial playoff teams in the league.

"That’s an important part of the game for us: trying to get off to a fast start. That doesn’t always happen, said Daboll.

"The last two games are the only two to go by in terms of the regular season. So, we’ll continue to work at that and put together some good openers. It takes everybody – the coaching, the playing – everybody. And it’s something we’ll work on."

Any ideas, coach? Maybe a no-huddle offense, an uptempo offense? Something else?

"I think we go into the week and the game trying to put together the best plan we can. And I think the offensive coaches do a really good job," Daboll said, completely declining to give any specifics.

"Again, we haven’t had the results that we’re hoping for, but I believe in the process and the preparation that those guys do. We’ll continue to try to do a better job at that."

Ring of Honor

The Giants will induct seven new members into their Ring of Honor at halftime: running backs Joe Morris, Rodney Hampton, and Ottis Anderson, defensive lineman Leonard Marshall, defensive back Jimmy Patton, halfback/wide receiver Kyle Rote, and athletic trainer Ronnie Barnes.

Between the electricity generated by the expected crowd and the return of the legends for their moment of immortality in Giants lore, the MetLife Stadium atmosphere should be buzzing, especially if the Giants are in a close game at the half.