Giants vs. Steelers Gameday: 'Let's See What Ya Got, Rookie'

The Giants begin the Joe Judge era of football. thus far the rookie head coach has said and done all the right things and pushed all the necessary buttons to get the Giants back on track, but will that translate to the field where it counts?

At long last, the Joe Judge era of Giants football is set to get underway.

While Judge has said and done all the right things so far, it all comes down to the schemes and the talent.

If history is to be trusted, the schemes of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, and special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey should allow the Giants to be competitive.

But the talent? Simply put, the Giants have a lot of youth on this team that really could have used a traditional off-season program to jell and build camaraderie.

Judge tried to expedite that process as quickly and efficiently as possible, but just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, no one should expect the Giants to go from looking like the rudderless ship they were last year to a lean, mean fighting machine as the 49ers did last year.

The big difference between the Giants and 49ers situation is that the latter team was more established and had a lot less newness to it, unlike the Giants, who have continued to rebuild the shattered franchise and continued to seek the right leaders to bring the team back to relevancy.

Here is what you need to know.

Game Time: Monday, September 14, 7:10 p.m. ET

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

TV/Radio: ESPN TV; SPORTS USA Radio (Nationally) and WFAN 660 AM/101.9 FM (Locally)

THE STADIUM: The game will be at an empty MetLife Stadium, which begins its second decade of operation since officially opening its doors on April 10, 2010. Due to current New Jersey state regulations, the stadium will not be open to fans, and the parking lots, which are state-owned private property, will not be accessible to tailgaters.

THE GIANTS WILL WIN IF: They are the more physical team. Head coach Joe Judge has preached from Day 1 that he envisions a football team that will punch an opponent in the mouth for 60 minutes. 

This is a takeaway from the Giants’ two Super Bowl wins against the Patriots, where, on paper, the Patriots were considered the more talented group only to curl up into a ball when the Giants knocked them around like pinballs for 60 minutes.

Being physical is one thing, ut a team also has to be smart. There can’t be stupid aggression penalties, and there certainly can’t be turnovers by offensive players who are perhaps looking to truck over members of the Steelers’ very good defense.

THE GIANTS WILL LOSE IF: They can’t keep the Steelers defense out of the backfield. According to Pro Football Focus, Pittsburgh recorded 342 total pressures and 412 stops for zero or negative yards last season.

Along that vein, the Giants better make sure their ball security is pristine. Last year, the Steelers led the NFL in takeaways (38) and had a league-leading 18 fumble recoveries. 

That’s not good news for a Giants team that led the NFL in lost fumbles (16) and whose quarterback, Daniel Jones, was the league leader in fumbles with 18.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I think it’s going to be on us. It’s going to be on execution and our attention to detail and how fast we come out.” – TE Evan Engram regarding the quality of play given the unusual off-season.

ODDS: The Giants are currently a six-point underdog at home.

FUN FACT: The Giants are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their Super Bowl XXV squad this season. They won the game against the Buffalo Bills 20-19 on what many people remember to be a missed field goal by Bills kicker Scott Norwood.

While that was indeed a significant moment in the victory, a more prominent and less discussed storyline was the brilliance of then defensive coordinator Bill Belichick’s game plan to shut down the Bills potent offense at the time.

INJURY UPDATE: Receiver Golden Tate (hamstring) and tight end Levine Toilolo (hamstring), two of the three players listed as questionable for this game (rookie linebacker Tae Crowder, who also has a hamstring strain), are the two injured Giants to watch.

Tate was the Giants team leader in yards after the catch last year, and if he can’t play, that element of his game will be missed, especially if the Giants plan to attack the underneath zones of the Steelers defense.

Meanwhile, Toilolo was signed to presumably be the Giants blocking tight end. With the Giants fielding three new starters on the offensive line, including two newcomers at the tackle position, Toilolo figured to have a significant role in the run blocking if he was out there on the field.

That role could end up going to second-year man Kaden Smith, who, while not horrible as a run blocker last year as a rookie, isn’t quite in Toilolo’s class just yet.

Edge rusher Markus Golden, last year’s Giants team leader in sacks with 10, is good to go after missing practice earlier in the week with an illness.

RECORDS: Giants (0-0 in 2020), 4-12 last season, third in NFC East, and 1-3 vs. the AFC. Steelers (0-0 in 2020) 8-8 last season, 2nd in AFC North, and 2-2 vs. the NFC.

THE FINAL WORD: "I think at this point, we’ve been hitting each other long enough," said head coach Joe Judge. "Everyone is getting anxious for Monday night."

Preach!