Getting To Know The Rams Week 6 Opponent: New York Giants

New York Giants Quarterback Daniel Jones. Photo Credit: New York Giants Media
New York Giants Quarterback Daniel Jones. Photo Credit: New York Giants Media

The 4-1 Los Angeles Rams are heading to East Rutherford, New Jersey to face off against the 1-4 New York Giants. A franchise essentially in free fall, the Giants are going on their second year under the Joe Judge regime, and have yet to justify a solid, albeit pricey, NFL roster by continually losing.

Quarterback Daniel Jones is expected to suit up in Week 6 after suffering a concussion in the second quarter of a Week 5 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, but with a rushed timeline and limited first-team reps all week, New York fans are less than optimistic about the offense holding their own against Raheem Morris’ defensive unit.

As the Giants continue to get hindered by injuries — missing Saquon Barkley (ankle), Kenny Golladay (knee), Rodarius Williams (ACL), and more — the odds appear faint for the G-Men to pull off the upset against a trending Rams team coming off a 10-day hiatus since their Thursday Night Football win.

But just like last year’s Week 13 win against the Seahawks, led by backup Colt McCoy, the Giants are hoping to bank on their defense to deliver them a much-needed upset on Sunday.

Getting To Know The Rams Week 6 Opponent: New York Giants

2020 Season In Review

In Joe Judge’s first season as head coach of the Giants, the former special team’s coordinator led New York to a 6-10 record — finishing second in the NFC East behind the Washington Football Team.

Fans considered the coach’s rookie year a success based on a revamped sense of energy in the locker room — far from the deflated years of Pat Shurmur. But the components seen in a 2007 or 2011 Super Bowl-winning squad still felt absent when the Giants took the field on Sundays.

Daniel Jones ended the year with 11 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and 2,943 passing yards — setting himself up for another “make-or-break” campaign in 2020-21 rather than solidifying himself as the unquestioned franchise quarterback. Losing Saquon Barkley early in the season became another headache for the organization and gave Judge the scapegoat of running on a diluted offense, spearheaded by offensive coordinator and former Dallas head coach Jason Garrett.

Despite having most of their key players healthy throughout five weeks this season, the Giants have resumed their status as a bottom-10 offense: scoring on only 40 percent of red-zone appearances and recording a measly five touchdowns through the air in the same number of weeks.

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Key Additions And Departures

Several key additions in the offseason, inspired by some hot seat talk for Dave Gettleman, also gave some optimism for the franchise moving forward. Newly added standouts like linebacker Blake Martinez and cornerback James Bradberry gave some new life to the defense in 2020, while the selection of Georgia offensive lineman Andrew Thomas in last year’s draft gave fans hope that the porous offensive line was slowly getting patched up. In the 2021 offseason, the Giants added former Titans corner Adoree’ Jackson and linebacker Reggie Ragland to continue bolstering both groups.

A new extension for defensive lineman Leonard Williams became Dave Gettleman’s priority for the offseason. Williams had a standout year for New York in 2020 recording 11.5 sacks and bringing back some of his fervor from his days as a Trojan.

The G-Men also scooped marquee names at wide receiver in the offseason — including former Lion Kenny Golladay via free agency and drafting Kadarius Toney out of Florida with the No. 20 pick in the 2021 Draft.

Toney may end up as the second coming of Odell Beckham Jr. — catching 10 passes for 168 yards in Week 5 — but the Giants placed their eggs in Golladay channeling Plaxico Burress of olden days. The chemistry is in the works between Jones and Golladay, but it’ll have to be put on hold with the receiver out due to a knee injury.

For the most part, the Giants roster has remained intact, minus the departure of defensive end Markus Golden — reuniting with his Arizona Cardinals squad after two years in the Big Apple.

2021 Outlook

After five weeks, the New York Giants have played like a team still ailed by deficient coaching and a wayward front office.

Daniel Jones remains an enigma to this team, notably for Jason Garrett. While posing a threat with his legs, Jones’ best attribute as a quarterback has been the deep ball, but that should be stunted on Sunday courtesy of the engulfing Rams defensive line and secondary.

Jones has thrown for four touchdowns, one interception, and accrued 1,282 passing yards in the 2020-21 season. Likely not playing at 100 percent, Jones and the Giants won’t see much relenting to their offensive woes.

The G-Men, early in the year, are facing uncertainty as to which key names in the organization (Gettleman, Judge, Jones) will get to keep their jobs as fans run for the pitchforks after their dismal start — likely to continue at 1-5 for the second straight season after facing the Rams on Sunday.

New York Giants Quarterback Daniel Jones. Photo Credit: New York Giants Media

New York Giants Quarterback Daniel Jones. Photo Credit: New York Giants Media