The Giants are no pretenders. After starting off 3-1 with a number of wins over bottom-tier teams (the Panthers and Bears), this team traveled to London and defeated Aaron Rodgers before executing a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the Ravens.
Brian Daboll and his men sit at 5-1, have won three straight, and are second in the NFC East behind the undefeated Eagles.
And this Sunday, the Giants have an incredible chance to continue their shocking start to the season. Big Blue faces second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road. While the Jags are on a three-game losing streak, the Giants cannot let their foot off the gas pedal just yet. This is a well-coached Jacksonville team who is hungry for a victory.
It’s still early in the year and the Giants need to stack up wins now so they aren’t trying to make up ground late in the regular season.
Despite how it may seem, this is a very important matchup for Big Blue.
Giants at Jaguars
When: Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022
Where: TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Radio: WFAN 101.9 FM
Giants’ keys to victory
Stop the run. The Jaguars are the ninth-best rushing team in the NFL with an average of 136.7 yards on the ground per game. Chalk that up to the talented James Robinson-Travis Etienne running back duo. If the Giants can contain the run and force the Jags to defeat them through the air (20th with 221.2 passing yards per game), the defense should have its way with Lawrence.
Run to pass. The Jaguars’ run defense is excellent, allowing only 89.3 rushing yards per game (third in the NFL). The Giants need to tire out this unit so they can find success through the play-action game. The Jaguars’ secondary is allowing nearly 245 passing yards per game and the Giants must find ways to exploit that weakness.
More Slayton? Receivers Kenny Golladay (knee) and Kadarius Toney (hamstring) are out again on Sunday. It’s unclear when either will return to the game field. With that said, Daniel Jones must get in a groove with Darius Slayton, just like he did in the Week 5 win over Green Bay. Slayton could become a huge factor going against a fairly weak Jaguars defensive backfield.
X-factor
Rookie outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux has a big test going against a Jaguars offensive line that’s allowed only 10 sacks in six games. And he needs to do it without outside linebackers Azeez Ojulari (calf) and Oshane Ximines (quad), who have both been ruled out.
With the help of Jihad Ward and potential practice squad elevation Quincy Roche, Thibodeaux must limit the impact of Lawrence and take pressure off the Giants’ secondary.
Did you know?
The Giants have never won in Jacksonville since the Jaguars joined the NFL in 1995. They’re 0-3 when facing the Jaguars on the road, including a 40-13 loss in 1997 when the Jags were coached by two-time Super Bowl-winning Giants coach Tom Coughlin.
Big Blue is 3-1 when facing the Jags at home, but the last win over Jacksonville was back in November 2010 (when Coughlin was still with the Giants).
The pick
I wouldn’t worry too much about the 5-1 Giants losing momentum following a three-game win streak, especially against a struggling ballclub like the 2-4 Jaguars. If this defense was able to handle the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson and force either star quarterback to make second-half mistakes, then Wink Martindale’s unit could certainly handle Trevor Lawrence if it just gets pressure on him. Giants 24, Jaguars 10.
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