Everyone is talking defense, but the key for our next 3

..had the ball for <24m and <29m respectively in the last two weeks. Playing less defense makes that side of the ball even better.

Seahawks, Bengals, to note, do not have good defenses. Jessie Bates is excellent but not much else there.

Cardinals lost Chandler Jones.

defense gives up, we should be in good shape.

The Giants can't screw this up as they did versus SF. Burrow is having a very good rookie season and they have plenty of weapons on offense. Let's just hope that Bobby Hart starts at RT.

This is a game that the Giants must win if they are going to have a real shot at winning the division.

In comment 15051330 LBH15 said:

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defense gives up, we should be in good shape.

Obviously, my larger point is that we are going to need to be a bit more explosive on offense or we need the offense to step up in crunch time. We’ve seen flashes of it, but we’ve fallen short time after time. Really time for Engram to step up as our explosive plays have essentially been all DJ. I know what the defense is and have been saying they’re good since the beginning of the season and a corner and edge away from being elite.

Still not really sure what the offense is. If they explode the next three weeks it certainly indicates they are at least mediocre and a threat to make some noise down the line.

I'd another wrinkle to it as well - while we've played a lot of tough teams so far one area where the schedule hasn't been tough is top WR's.

The 3 best were probably McLaurin, Evans, and Robinson. All good players but DK Metcalf and Hopkins are a whole different story. And each are complimented by big play threats on the opposite side.

And obviously if you notice 2 of those 3 had mediocre at best QB play. Brady is undoubtedly the best QB they played (and Dak before getting hurt). But Wilson and Murray are a whole different thing because of their mobility and ability to make nothing into a big play downfield.

So at least in those 2 games there is a much higher risk of big plays downfield than we've seen so far YTD. I'd imagine the offense will do their best to play ball control but there's high shootout potential in both.

Cincinnati is a lot less concerning. AJG has been a non-factor bordering on a negative. Boyd is a good receiver moving the chains in the slot and Higgins has been good, but I'd imagine he'll get a lot of Bradberry. Burrow has put up numbers but made a lot of mistakes too - so that game should rightfully be one where the NYG are favored. Mixon will probably be a gametime decision looking unlikely to play this week. Coming off the bye I think the defense will be able to force Burrow into some mistakes.

In comment 15051342 Zeke's Alibi said:

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In comment 15051330 LBH15 said: Quote: defense gives up, we should be in good shape. Obviously, my larger point is that we are going to need to be a bit more explosive on offense or we need the offense to step up in crunch time. We’ve seen flashes of it, but we’ve fallen short time after time. Really time for Engram to step up as our explosive plays have essentially been all DJ. I know what the defense is and have been saying they’re good since the beginning of the season and a corner and edge away from being elite. Still not really sure what the offense is. If they explode the next three weeks it certainly indicates they are at least mediocre and a threat to make some noise down the line.

Don't look for explosive offense...that's not what they are.

Maybe if the defensive opponent makes a mistake the Giants can take advantage with a big play, but would rather they keep things balanced for Jones and protect our weak offensive tackles in pass pro. Jones is still seeing too much pressure come his way so no point taking unnecessary chances.

Nothing wrong with stretching field a bit but better off if they "use" the whole field with different angled throws and to different targets. Keeps the defense honest and makes them defend a lot of turf.

which they should be able to do. Let's be honest, those two games after are likely to be losses.

In comment 15051371 JonC said:

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which they should be able to do. Let's be honest, those two games after are likely to be losses.

Arizona is coming from the desert to play in NY in December, a team that isn't strong up front on either side of the ball. We continue our playing streak into next week and I think it's a 50/50 proposition we beat them. Travelling across the country to play an offense like that is going to be a likely loss, but I think the Cards can be had.

Turnovers. Win the turnover battle and you most likely win the game.

is a key to the offense and the overall team success.

Winning the time of possession battle, and hence minimizing the about of time Wilson and Murray have, would help reduce the number of snaps the defense has to defend.

Hopefully Gallman can keep his recent success, with Morris spelling him.

of all these games. We should be capable of coming up with a decent defensive game plan to keep Burrow off balance. With the Cardinals and Seahawks, it’s all about defending the QB and their ability to run and extend plays with their feet. Two tougher games, but none will be easy IMO. We’re not exactly a juggernaut yet! Special Teams might also play a huge role in all of those games and right now out Kicker, Punter and Long Snapper are all out on the Covid reserve list!

However the most important position on the football field is QB. Just want to see him play well. The better he looks the better the Giants future looks.

Even in the games where we've won they get gassed in the second half. Just watch the Cowboys' game, the first Eagles game, the Buccaneers game, even the first Washington game which we mainly won because Ron Rivera chose a two-point conversion instead of an extra point. In those games, we kept getting gashed on long drives late in the game and the opponents were able to score, making our offense have to play catch-up.

On the other hand, how do you improve something like that? Conditioning?

Team. That game in Jersey will be a test. If the Giants can win it, it will be an achievement and a concrete sign the team is improving. But I don’t expect them to.

Everyone talks about Hopkins but I think the other starting Wr, Christian Kirk, is a very good possession receiver. I’m not sure who on the Giants wil be able to cover him. You combine that with Murray’s ability to read the field while moving, and I see this as a very, very bad matchup for us.

Realistically, the Giants have 2 games that they would be considered likely to win, or even having a decent shot to win. That is next week in Cincy and the final week against Dallas. They (and we as fans) should not look past Cincy though. This is a game we must win to have a realistic shot in the division. It is really that simple. At 3-7, this is a must win.

In general, it is not wise on the NFL to look past the next opponent. This team is not good enough to even entertain the notion of doing so.

fairly certain that we as fans are safe in doing so.

In comment 15053962 Matt M. said:

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Realistically, the Giants have 2 games that they would be considered likely to win, or even having a decent shot to win. That is next week in Cincy and the final week against Dallas. They (and we as fans) should not look past Cincy though. This is a game we must win to have a realistic shot in the division. It is really that simple. At 3-7, this is a must win. In general, it is not wise on the NFL to look past the next opponent. This team is not good enough to even entertain the notion of doing so.

I’d throw Arizona in there.