Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley
Syndication: The Record

The 3-1 Giants travel across the pond to face the 3-1 Packers in London. This is the first time the Giants are playing in the Big Smoke since a 2016 win over the Rams.

Although New York is off to a much better start than anticipated, Brian Daboll and Co. will have their biggest test of the year thus far. New York has faced the underwhelming Titans, poorly-coached Panthers, a Cooper Rush-led Cowboys team, and the lowly Bears in the first month of the season.

Now in Week 5, they must face two-time reigning NFL MVP, Aaron Rodgers.

That’s a huge jump, especially with a lengthy injury list. Rookie cornerback Cor’Dale Flott (calf), wide receiver Kenny Golladay (knee), wide receiver Kadarius Toney (hamstring), wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), and outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari (calf) are already ruled out.

Therefore, regardless of this game’s location, the Giants could be brought back down to planet Earth as soon as the clock hits triple-zero.

Giants at Packers

When: Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022
Where: Northumberland Development Project in London, England
Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
TV: ABC7 NY, NFL Network
Radio: WFAN 101.9 FM

Giants’ keys to victory

Strong cornerback play. The Giants will be without Aaron Robinson (on IR with a knee injury) and Flott this weekend. This means Fabian Moreau will likely get the nod on the boundary opposite Adoree’ Jackson and will have a notable task going up against one of the league’s top quarterbacks. Can he step up like he has in previous games?

Ground and pound. This Giants offense has operated through running back Saquon Barkley for the first four weeks. That can’t change Sunday, and it probably won’t. With Daniel Jones (ankle) banged up and the receiver room missing Golladay, Toney, and Robinson, the Giants must effectively utilize the run against a fairly weak Packers defensive front. From there, they can open up the play action.

Stop the run. The Packers’ 145.0 rushing yards per game is good for seventh in the NFL. The Giants’ 141.0 rushing yards allowed per game is good for 28th.

Still, Big Blue can’t lose this battle. The defense must limit the impact of Green Bay’s Aaron Jones-AJ Dillon running back duo, a significant part of the Packers’ offense.

X-factor

Leonard Williams is questionable with a knee injury he sustained back in Week 2, but should be on the field Sunday.

His return would be crucial for a Giants defense that’s struggled against the run in his absence. The Giants allowed the Cowboys to rush for 176 yards in Week 3 before allowing the Bears to rush for 149 the following Sunday.

As previously mentioned, New York must stop the Jones-Dillon tandem — Williams’ presence would greatly assist with that task.

Did you know?

I know you may have heard this several times throughout the week. But it’s worth bringing up again.

This will be the first-ever London NFL game in which both teams entered with a winning record. There have been 31 NFL games in London dating back to 2007. None of the matchups have fielded a pair of teams with winning records.

That will change Sunday.

The pick

The Giants didn’t sign a temporary quarterback this week with Jones battling an ankle injury and Tyrod Taylor recovering from a concussion. That’s a good sign — Jones has looked healthy in practice and is set to start against the Packers.

That doesn’t change the fact that Rodgers is standing on the other sideline though. The Giants’ defense has impressed thus far but hasn’t faced a quarterback in 2022 as good as the 38-year-old. While he doesn’t have a reliable slate of receivers, Rodgers could still pick apart a young, injury-hampered Giants secondary. No thanks to that, as well as the offense’s limitations (battered and bruised offensive line, no pass game, et cetera), the Giants should have a tough time keeping up with Green Bay. Packers 27, Giants 13. 

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Ryan Honey is a staff writer and host of the Wide Right Podcast.