Rams at Giants Week 6 Preview: 3 Storylines to Follow
After an eventful Thursday Night Football win over the Seattle Seahawks, the Los Angeles Rams head cross country to face the New York Giants.
Meanwhile, the Giants are coming off a road beatdown at the hands of their division rival, the Dallas Cowboys. With injury questions across the board here are three storylines to follow before Sunday’s game.
How will the Giants fare without skill players?
Last week, we saw the Giants starting quarterback, running back and No. 1 receiver leave the game in what was a brutal week for the Giants. Daniel Jones was a limited participant in practice on Thursday, making it likely that he clears the concussion protocol before Sunday’s game. Saquon Barkley, who sprained his ankle in a freak incident, has not practiced this week and is expected to miss extended time. Kenny Golladay suffered a hyperextended knee and is also yet to practice this week.
With these two guys expected to miss Week 6, Devontate Booker and Kadarius Toney are expected to fill in. Booker, the former longtime Denver backup, scored a couple of touchdowns last week after Barkely left. Toney, the team's first round pick in the 2021 draft, exploded for a career day. Toney snagged 10 of his 13 targets for 189 yards before his day was cut short after punching a Cowboys defensive back in the helmet. Even with Booker, Toney and the return of Sterling Shepard, the Giants could struggle to move the ball against a stout Rams defense.
Is the Robert Woods return legit?
Woods’ lack of involvement through the first four weeks was well documented by Rams fans. Last week, Woods took the lion's share of targets with 14 that he turned into 12 catches for 150 yards. It was the first time we have seen the Matthew Stafford Robert Woods combo connect to dominate a game. Earlier this week, Stafford made a point to reporters about spreading the ball around more to ensure defenses can't lock in on one guy, stating “I’m just trying to make sure that I get the ball to the appropriate receiver. I'm trying to do my best and spread the ball around."
Whether Stafford has Woods as his go to guy or spreads the ball around remains to be seen on Sunday.
Can Matt Gay solve his kicking problems?
After starting the season lights out as the Rams kicker, Gay had a couple of rough weeks in a row. In Week 4, Gay missed a 46-yard field goal against the Arizona Cardinals. In Week 5, Gay missed an extra point attempt, but also pulled some kickoffs out of bounds allowing Seattle great starting field position on drives. In practice, Gay has been limited due to some ankle soreness but is expected to be ready for Sunday’s game. Good kickers are hard to find and the Rams have one, they just need him to find the consistency from the first three weeks that he showed.
Season Records: Rams (4-1), Giants (1-4)
Previous Meeting: Rams defeated the Giants 17-9 last season.
Odds: Rams -9.5
Stat: Rams hold an all-time record of 28-17 over the Giants.
Keep An Eye On: How does the accuracy of Matthew Stafford look after 10 days since his last game.
Rams' Key To Victory: Take advantage of the Giants' miscues.
Date/Time: Sunday, October 17, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. PT
Location: MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
TV: FOX
Streaming: FuboTV
Radio: 93.1 JACK FM
