The New York Football Giants (5-7) are set to host the Arizona Cardinals (6-6) at 1:00 pm est at MetLife Stadium for their first home game in almost one month. The Cardinals are losers of three straight while the Giants are winners of four in a row. Both teams have some key injuries this week, including a few game-time decisions. Here’s five Giants to keep an eye on Sunday.
QB: Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones has been listed as questionable for Sunday’s game after practicing fully Friday. Jones and Murray squared off last year that resulted in a 27-20 loss. In their last meeting, Jones went 22/35, 223 yards, 1 TD and 1 int. Jones has not turned the ball over since the Tampa Bay game on November 2nd. With Jones possibly coming back, it helps open up the passing game for the Giants. McCoy last week did just enough to win, but having Jones behind center takes the pressure off the offense, especially the run game. It also opens up the run game, as Jones is second on the team with 403 yards rushing. Jones will hope to continue the Giants success, as he has been in 3 of the Giants last 4 wins.
S: Jabrill Peppers
Peppers is coming off a solid game against Seattle. He had a big sack on QB Russell Wilson and a great pass breakup in the end zone. I think the Giants could possibly use him as a QB spy against Kyler Murray and help to keep him contained. Peppers has been a good tackler this year and has shown his athleticism on numerous plays. Peppers had 4 tackles in their last meeting. Look for him to provide an impact on the defense and to come up with another solid outing.
TE: Evan Engram
Engram is one of those players that you just don’t know what you’re going to get on Sundays. Last week, Engram had a big drop that resulted in an interception, and then came up with a big catch on a low thrown ball for a first down. He’s a player that can be inconsistent and sometimes make the most outrageous catches you’ll see. In their last meeting with Arizona, Engram had a very quiet game with one catch for 6 yards. It was former Giants TE Rhett Ellison that had the lone touchdown. If he plays, you’ll probably see Isaiah Simmons locked on Engram, someone who many Giants fans wanted in this year’s draft. It seems to be an even matchup, both have speed and athleticism. Look for Engram to make a couple extra plays and to even find himself in the end zone Sunday for just his second time on the year.
LB: Tae Crowder
Tae Crowder lead the Giant in tackles with 6 last Sunday against Seattle. With Blake Martinez questionable, Crowder may see more of a vital role Sunday. Crowder also had a big sack on Wilson, and applied pressure to create one of Leonard William’s sacks. Crowder has been quite a surprise this year after bring the 2020 Mr. Irrelevant in the draft. Crowder’s athletic ability and speed makes his skill set one that benefits the Giants defense. Going up against Kyler Murray and running backs like Kenyan Drake and Chase Edmonds, they will need some speed on the defense to take good angles of pursuit on these players. Look for Crowder to continue to be efficient and make plays on Sunday.
CB: James Bradberry
This guy gets better as the season goes on. He had a large task at hand Sunday against DK Metcalf, and he held his own. There was a viral video going around about Metcalf’s stiff arm on Bradberry, but Bradberry tackled him and actually almost punched the ball out. He almost had an interception Sunday as well. Bradberry will have another week against another prolific wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins ranks third in the league in receptions (85), targets (116), and seventh in yards (1,019). Bradberry has done a tremendous job against star receivers all year and continues to be a bright spot in their secondary. The Giants will also face Cardinal’s legend Larry Fitzgerald, but I would expect Bradberry to stay on Hopkins, and keep up the solid play he has had thus far.
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Photo Credit: Sportscasting.com
About Dylan Davis
Dylan Davis is a graduate of the State University of New York at Canton, where he obtained a B.A.A in Sport Management. He is a former athlete of football and baseball and sports fan for much of his life. Dylan creates content for 366 Sports and New York Giants 366, and is also a host on his own show, “The J&D Sports Show”.
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