Giants face must-win vs. Dallas Cowboys
With calendars being flipped to December, it means the NFL season is winding down. So are the playoff hopes for the New York Giants who face a must-win situation at home this Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Eli Manning could be limited on offense with weapons such as Mario Manningham and Ahmad Bradshaw both uncertain for the late afternoon contest from Giants Stadium, set for a 4:15 p.m. kickoff on FOX.
The New York Giants could miss the playoffs this year.
We’re not just talking mathematical probability here, either. The Giants have lost five of their last six games to fall to 6-5 SU and 4-6-1 ATS, two games behind the 8-3 Dallas Cowboys (6-5 ATS) in the NFC East and one game out of Wild Card position.
Time is running out on the Super Bowl XLII champions if they’re going to make a run, and they had better get started on Sunday when the Cowboys come to town.
Giants QB Eli Manning used to have a reputation for inconsistency, but winning the Super Bowl gave him all the credibility in the world. In truth, Manning has had a few clunkers during this slump after starting the 2009 campaign in MVP form:
Week 6 (at New Orleans): 14-of-31, 178 yards, one TD, one INT, 61.0 QB rating
Week 7 (vs. Arizona): 19-of-37, 243 yards, one TD, three INTs, 47.5 QB rating
Week 8 (at Philadelphia): 20-of-39, 222 yards, one TD, two INTs, 55.7 QB rating
Week 12 (at Denver): 24-of-40, 230 yards, zero TDs, one INT, 65.6 QB rating
You’re looking at four of the better defenses in the league on that list. The Saints and Eagles rank 1-2 in defensive efficiency against the pass at Football Outsiders. All of Manning’s eight good games this year have come against teams in the bottom half of the league in pass defense. And one of those teams happens to be the Cowboys. Manning ventilated them for 330 passing yards and a pair of TDs back in Week 2, just enough to bag a 33-31 victory as 3-point road dogs.
The Cowboys have a lot of positive attributes, but defense is not among them. Dallas is ranked No. 20 in the NFL in pass defense – and don’t be fooled by their last two wins, both at home over Washington (final score: 7-6) and Oakland (24-7). Those are two of the worst offenses in the league, with the Raiders ranking No. 32 out of 32 teams in efficiency. Quality of opposition cannot be ignored when handicapping. Nor can the absence of safety Ken Hamlin (ankle) for Dallas in Sunday’s rematch.
It also remains to be seen which members of the Giants offense will be able to take the field. Manning already has had a limited selection of receivers at his disposal; this week, Mario Manningham, who had 10 of his 45 catches on the season against Dallas, is uncertain because of a nagging left shoulder injury that flared up again in last Thursday’s 26-6 loss at Denver (+4½).
The vaunted Big Blue rushing attack is further hampered by Ahmad Bradshaw’s foot injury. He’s listed as week-to-week, although according to the Newark Star-Ledger, Bradshaw (4.8 yards per carry) was in “pretty good shape” after missing the Broncos game.
We do know that the Giants will be shorthanded on defense. Middle linebacker Antonio Pierce was put on injured reserve this week with a bulging disc in his neck. Chase Blackburn is the new starter, their best coverage player on special teams and a spot starter last year. Pierce isn’t quite the player he was when he made the Pro Bowl in 2006, but he’s still an upgrade over Blackburn.
The Giants are already less than championship material at No. 13 in the league in defensive efficiency, so their chances of reining in Tony Romo and the Dallas offense don’t look too bright. These guys are the star of the show – Romo in particular with 13 TD passes and just three INTs in his last seven games. The Cowboys are 6-1 SU and 4-3 ATS during this run, but just like the Giants in the early season, Dallas is making hay against dubious opposition like the aforementioned Redskins and Raiders.
Early betting odds have the Giants as 1-point home faves with a total of 45. The very early forecast for game time is partly cloudy with temperatures just above freezing, so getting the same kind of offense we saw indoors in Week 2 will be problematic. But Manning and Romo are both in a reasonably good position to deliver. Kick-off is at 4:15 p.m. Eastern on FOX.
With calendars being flipped to December, it means the NFL season is winding down. So are the playoff hopes for the New York Giants who face a must-win situation at home this Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Eli Manning could be limited on offense with weapons such as Mario Manningham and Ahmad Bradshaw both uncertain for the late afternoon contest from Giants Stadium, set for a 4:15 p.m. kickoff on FOX.
The New York Giants could miss the playoffs this year.
We’re not just talking mathematical probability here, either. The Giants have lost five of their last six games to fall to 6-5 SU and 4-6-1 ATS, two games behind the 8-3 Dallas Cowboys (6-5 ATS) in the NFC East and one game out of Wild Card position.
Time is running out on the Super Bowl XLII champions if they’re going to make a run, and they had better get started on Sunday when the Cowboys come to town.
Giants QB Eli Manning used to have a reputation for inconsistency, but winning the Super Bowl gave him all the credibility in the world. In truth, Manning has had a few clunkers during this slump after starting the 2009 campaign in MVP form:
Week 6 (at New Orleans): 14-of-31, 178 yards, one TD, one INT, 61.0 QB rating
Week 7 (vs. Arizona): 19-of-37, 243 yards, one TD, three INTs, 47.5 QB rating
Week 8 (at Philadelphia): 20-of-39, 222 yards, one TD, two INTs, 55.7 QB rating
Week 12 (at Denver): 24-of-40, 230 yards, zero TDs, one INT, 65.6 QB rating
You’re looking at four of the better defenses in the league on that list. The Saints and Eagles rank 1-2 in defensive efficiency against the pass at Football Outsiders. All of Manning’s eight good games this year have come against teams in the bottom half of the league in pass defense. And one of those teams happens to be the Cowboys. Manning ventilated them for 330 passing yards and a pair of TDs back in Week 2, just enough to bag a 33-31 victory as 3-point road dogs.
The Cowboys have a lot of positive attributes, but defense is not among them. Dallas is ranked No. 20 in the NFL in pass defense – and don’t be fooled by their last two wins, both at home over Washington (final score: 7-6) and Oakland (24-7). Those are two of the worst offenses in the league, with the Raiders ranking No. 32 out of 32 teams in efficiency. Quality of opposition cannot be ignored when handicapping. Nor can the absence of safety Ken Hamlin (ankle) for Dallas in Sunday’s rematch.
It also remains to be seen which members of the Giants offense will be able to take the field. Manning already has had a limited selection of receivers at his disposal; this week, Mario Manningham, who had 10 of his 45 catches on the season against Dallas, is uncertain because of a nagging left shoulder injury that flared up again in last Thursday’s 26-6 loss at Denver (+4½).
The vaunted Big Blue rushing attack is further hampered by Ahmad Bradshaw’s foot injury. He’s listed as week-to-week, although according to the Newark Star-Ledger, Bradshaw (4.8 yards per carry) was in “pretty good shape” after missing the Broncos game.
We do know that the Giants will be shorthanded on defense. Middle linebacker Antonio Pierce was put on injured reserve this week with a bulging disc in his neck. Chase Blackburn is the new starter, their best coverage player on special teams and a spot starter last year. Pierce isn’t quite the player he was when he made the Pro Bowl in 2006, but he’s still an upgrade over Blackburn.
The Giants are already less than championship material at No. 13 in the league in defensive efficiency, so their chances of reining in Tony Romo and the Dallas offense don’t look too bright. These guys are the star of the show – Romo in particular with 13 TD passes and just three INTs in his last seven games. The Cowboys are 6-1 SU and 4-3 ATS during this run, but just like the Giants in the early season, Dallas is making hay against dubious opposition like the aforementioned Redskins and Raiders.
Early betting odds have the Giants as 1-point home faves with a total of 45. The very early forecast for game time is partly cloudy with temperatures just above freezing, so getting the same kind of offense we saw indoors in Week 2 will be problematic. But Manning and Romo are both in a reasonably good position to deliver. Kick-off is at 4:15 p.m. Eastern on FOX.
