I know - it's the 2nd game. It's Shurmur's 2nd game. Bettcher's 2nd game. Barkley's 2nd game. How can it be a "must win" ?
It is if we want to compete at all this year or be in the mix.
As it is, only ~12% of teams that start 0-2 make the playoffs, so the odds would obviously already be pretty heavily against us should we lose.
Dallas is not a good team this year. Dak Prescott isn't good. Their OL is a bit banged up and played poorly against CAR. There are very few weapons outside of Elliott. Their defense will probably be okay this year - not great.
There's really no excuse here. We need to score more than 15 points. We need to connect when plays are there to be made. We need to limit the mistakes.
If we can't win this game, this team isn't going anywhere anyway. But I 100% believe if we lose this game, the season will just spiral out of control and we'll be out of the mix by Halloween.
If the Giants want this season to mean something, they need to go into Dallas and make that evident. No excuses. No bullshit. Have to win.
This is basically the same thing we say every year lol
This would be my stance in most seasons - but it isn't this year.
I really think a loss in Dallas would get this ship sinking very quickly. We need to win this game. I think it's hugely, hugely important - as important a Week 2 game as this team will play.
They cannot afford to start 0-2 in a season where they're going to need things to come together on the fly.
I really think an 0-2 start will sink this football team based on what we've seen in recent years.
...but they faced a pretty rough and tough team on the road in Carolina.
I wouldn't go on what they did in Game One.
That said, there is no such thing as a "must win" in Game Two, but it sure as hell feels like this might be an exception to the rule.
The Giants need to experience what WINNING feels like. That needs to start Sunday night in Dallas.
Remember our week 1 ugly loss in Dallas, similar to theirs at Carolina, with a lot of warning signs showing. Things that needed to be fixed over the offseason still causing issues. Heading into a week 2 matchup, for us against Detroit, feeling like things were already teetering on the brink with that coach and OL. I think Dallas is in a similar spot.
Hot seat rumors swirling around Garrett, injuries to the OL, absolutely no weapons on the outside on offense, and a QB that's showing significant weaknesses. I think we get this win and Dallas begins to fall apart.
But this is one of those turning point games that I think we need to win and I don't think it's too early whatsoever. Things are going to get bad if we lose.
When the dust settles this year, I think the Panthers will struggle to be .500, especially with Olsen out.
Funchess has developed nicely, but they don't have a #2 WR, their OL is shaky, and their D is really weak in the secondary.
Once Carolina lost Olsen, they only had one pass travel over 20 yards in the air and they exclusively ran the ball or did short dumpoffs to McCaffery. That worked against the anemic Dallas offense - it won't work most of the time.
I can't do that again. I really can't.
Remember our week 1 ugly loss in Dallas, similar to theirs at Carolina, with a lot of warning signs showing. Things that needed to be fixed over the offseason still causing issues. Heading into a week 2 matchup, for us against Detroit, feeling like things were already teetering on the brink with that coach and OL. I think Dallas is in a similar spot.
Hot seat rumors swirling around Garrett, injuries to the OL, absolutely no weapons on the outside on offense, and a QB that's showing significant weaknesses. I think we get this win and Dallas begins to fall apart.
I feel the same way about Dallas - and that's why I think it'll be devastating if we can't put THEM in the 0-2 hole. Because I know they can't and won't get out of it. There are a lot of cracks in that foundation now and it's starting to fall apart. We need to take advantage.
The Giants should win this game. They are better than the Cowboys right now.
When the dust settles this year, I think the Panthers will struggle to be .500, especially with Olsen out.
Funchess has developed nicely, but they don't have a #2 WR, their OL is shaky, and their D is really weak in the secondary.
Once Carolina lost Olsen, they only had one pass travel over 20 yards in the air and they exclusively ran the ball or did short dumpoffs to McCaffery. That worked against the anemic Dallas offense - it won't work most of the time.
The Olsen loss is huge. That guy is almost all-world... he is fantastic!
I can't do that again. I really can't.
Eagles on a Thursday night where the travel up the turnpike won’t faze them (and Wentz might be back) followed by a (likely) thrashing the next Monday night in Atlanta follows those games. It gets scary if we lose Sunday. Imagine if they’re 1-7 or 2-6 at the bye?
Biggest key for me is what we do with Demarcus Lawrence. He wrecked us in week 1 last season. Flowers cannot be left on an island with him. If that means going two TE and have Ellison helping out, so be it. We're likely stuck with Flowers this season but he can no longer be allowed to single handedly destroy multiple drives a game for this offense. Give him help.
atlantas defense is going to be a lot different missing their best safety and best linebacker...
carolina missing olsen...
saints defense looked awful and are a different team on the road...
houston deshaun watson has not yet regained laat years performance so far albeit preseason and week 1 and they juat lost their best cover corner
forst off divisional game, against a team with injuries in key spots..
they are already starting to turn bad, giants can push them over the edge...
Biggest key for me is what we do with Demarcus Lawrence. He wrecked us in week 1 last season. Flowers cannot be left on an island with him. If that means going two TE and have Ellison helping out, so be it. We're likely stuck with Flowers this season but he can no longer be allowed to single handedly destroy multiple drives a game for this offense. Give him help.
last ywar giants had no beckham and with barkley thwir dline can not just pin thwir ears back because if they do barkley is going to kill them on cutbacks
Agree, if it this is supposed to be a playoff team, you have to get this one.
Problem is, we are coming off a 3-13 season. So, calling this team a playoff team this year is premature...it likely isn't. The hope is that they can contend.
Have to take it one week at a time, build on what was a positive off-season and a solid effort versus the Jags.
A win would help.
They are a bottom barrel team until they prove otherwise.
I'd run some leak out screens to Barkley on his side. They can suck Lawrence in towards the pocket and squirt Barkley out on the perimeter for a few dumpoffs. Have Engram or the slot WR run a slant or post that pulls the LB/nickel CB out of that space.
The game against the Jaguars was frustrating, but it didn't feel particularly hopeless the way the Dallas game did in last year's opener.
Last year's opener was the type of game you could watch and just know right away that this was going to be a really, really bad team.
I didn't see that against JAX - I saw a team that did some good things. We just need to finish drives and connect when plays are there. This can be a decent football team, but it won't matter if we lose again on Sunday.
In comment 14072421 Jints in Carolina said:
Quote:
if you cant beat the bottom barrell teams who are struggling..... then you are a bottom barrel team as well. At some point, we have to win a fucking game.
They are a bottom barrel team until they prove otherwise.
Having said that - here's where we differ.
All losses are not equal. There's losses where you are outplayed, outschemed, out-hustled, out-physicaled, injured, and all of the above. Then there's the loss where by all rights you should have won - where the refs get in the way or something like that.
If it's the latter - if the team has played hard and loses but feels they were clearly the superior team and just got robbed - they will not be quitting on their coach or their teammates. They will be angry and determined not to let it happen again.
Anyway - that's my take.
Having said that - here's where we differ.
All losses are not equal. There's losses where you are outplayed, outschemed, out-hustled, out-physicaled, injured, and all of the above. Then there's the loss where by all rights you should have won - where the refs get in the way or something like that.
If it's the latter - if the team has played hard and loses but feels they were clearly the superior team and just got robbed - they will not be quitting on their coach or their teammates. They will be angry and determined not to let it happen again.
Anyway - that's my take.
This is another take I would typically agree with - but I actually think the Giants are now at a point where they can no longer "feel good" about a loss or say "well, we outplayed them, we cost ourselves the game" or "we did a lot of good things, we can build on this.."
The Giants have to win a football game and they have to win this one. To start 0-2 with a division loss while all 3 other teams will have at LEAST one win is something I don't think this team will recover from.
It's a confidence builder that I think is really important. There are always stepping stones like this throughout the year - and to me, this is just one we can't miss.
Agreed, but the Cowboys are saying the same thing and they are at home! Time to man up!
In week 1, Watson looked like a rookie behind a bad OL, New Orleans got demolished by Ryan Fitzpatrick, Panthers lost Olsen and Daryl Williams, and Atlanta looked lost with Sarkisian. Any of these teams could get back on track, but it's way too early to fret about strength of schedule.
I don't know about must win games for the second game of the season though.
Sometimes a teams deficiencies make it impossible for them to exploit the opponents weaknesses. That was the Giants last season.
To some extent this happened last Sunday. Jags could not score in the second half. Yet Giants hand them 7!and then compound it by not being able to capitalize on the momentum at home, Barkley s score provided.
If this offense goes another loss because they can't put the ball in the end zone, hard to be optimistic that things are any different
Looking back at the Jacksonville game, it really is a fucking shame that we lost that game. It reminded me of some of the old good Giants' teams in the mid 2000s era where we would have one of those weird home games where you'd leave saying "we really lost that game?" It just didn't feel like Jacksonville was that much better than us, and we missed a whole bunch of plays that should have been touchdowns.
Fuck Dallas. Let's drop 30 on them and get out of there.
For a "win now" team, as they committed to, its utmost now.
If they weren't a "win now" then id say no..not ...but considering what has taken place here..they put themselves in this spot
Eli must have a big game. He will get pressure, but he needs to deal with it and make BIG plays.
In case you haven't followed the NFL recently, there isn't any tanking and rebuilding. Heck, look at the Cardinals. Are they in "win now" mode by playing Bradford, or since they drafted Rosen, they've decided to rebuild?
Teams build on the fly, and have been doing so since shortly after the salary cap was instituted.
While perhaps true in the abstract, that's not a meaningful number without context (i.e., no team that starts 0-6 is making the playoffs, even if it may be mathematically possible in some cases).
They are under much more pressure than we are, and probably a considerably worse team. Opening up at home in prime time with high national expectations (nobody expects much of the Giants, by contrast).
Everybody already "knows" how bad Eli is. But Dak needs to live up to his reputation as being the next Roger Staubach for all the fantasy owners in America. Get on their bad side, and Twitter will hear about it.
They would also be facing their second L in the conference.
The Giants should take advantage of Dallas's high-pressure situation under the lights on Sunday.