The New York Giants face a tall task this week of pressuring Patrick Mahomes. This injury-plagued team will walk into Arrowhead Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs.
Shockingly enough, both teams enter the primetime matchup with sub .500 records. The Chiefs are 3-4 as the Giants are 2-5. This is a crucial game for both teams to get back on track.
So far this year, both teams have struggled in both the offensive and defensive categories. The Chiefs have turned over the ball in many key situations as the Giants have struggled beyond the 50-yard line on offense, most importantly.
The Giants need to pick up what they did last week against the Carolina Panthers. Big Blue’s pass-rush sacked Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker a combined six times with a season-high 18 pressures. Though the offensive line hasn’t been terrible for the Chiefs, Mahomes was pressured heavily last week, causing multiple early incompletions and his head injury.
If the Giants want to survive this game, the defense will need to pressure the life out of Mahomes.
Giants Need To Turn Up The Heat on Mahomes
Start Azeez Ojulari & Quincy Roche
The New York Giants pass-rush has been inconsistent and disappointing to start 2020. Once again, the Giants relied on Oshane Ximines and Lorenzo Carter to be the key cogs of the outside linebacker group. Like many predicted, that experiment has failed and they need to do what is best for the team.
Azeez Ojulari, through seven games, already tied the Giants rookie sack record at 5.5. He also has five tackles for a loss and seven quarterback hits, which is more than Ximines and Carter combined.
Quincy Roche made a few nice plays in last week’s game against the Panthers. For the record, he has more tackles for a loss than Ximines and the same amount as Carter. He has shown tidbits of potential over the last few weeks in limited snaps. The Giants have more to gain than lose by playing him over Lorenzo Carter. It is time for Patrick Graham to divorce the duo experiment of Carter-Ximines. It is likely that both former 3rd-round picks have reached their ceiling in a Giants uniform.
To conclude, though the Chiefs offensive line has only allowed two sacks per game on average, the Tennessee Titans hit Mahomes nine times in Week 7. Pressuring Patrick Mahomes is a key component for Big Blue to survive on Monday night.
Cover On The Backend
The Giants have built their defense starting with bolstering the secondary the last two seasons. Big Blue has invested top dollar in both cornerbacks Adoree Jackson and James Bradberry. It is time they start performing like it on a consistent basis.
Adoree Jackson has the speed to keep up with Tyreek Hill, while James Bradberry can focus on other receivers like Mecole Hardman. If Patrick Graham feels the safeties will be outmatched by Travis Kelce, he can have Bradberry shadow him. With
Running two-high safety looks will help this defense confuse Mahomes. With Clyde Edwards-Helaire on injured reserve, there is no need to stack the box on every down. Just in case to prepare for any rushing attack that is coming for them, the Giants should activate linebacker Benardrick McKinney and defensive tackle David Moa from the practice squad for extra depth. Tae Crowder has shown he isn’t a MIKE linebacker and the Giants give up close to six yards per run when Danny Shelton is on the field.
Force Turnovers
To start the season, Patrick Mahomes is performing like a shell of himself. Yes, he has thrown 18 touchdowns, but has tossed nine interceptions and has thrown one pick in each of his last six matchups. He has three games this year where he has tossed two picks each. He also has fumbled twice.
Overall, the Chiefs rank last in the league with a turnover differential of -10. The Giants rank in the middle of the pack with a 0 turnover differential. As a defense, the Giants have forced a turnover at least once in each of their last nine games, dating back to 2020. Other than Mahomes, the Chiefs offense has six lost fumbles through seven games this year.
The Giants will either have to force Mahomes into making a mistake or punch the ball out of a playmaker’s hands to give their offense a chance against one of the worst defensive units in football.
Overview
The Kansas City Chiefs are off to a rough start, especially quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Though the touchdown numbers look great, his interception numbers look awful to go along with the Chiefs turnover differential.
The Giants have three main tasks when facing the Chiefs offense: pressuring Patrick Mahomes, covering the backend, and attempting to force turnovers. If Patrick Graham’s defense can find a healthy mix of these, the game will be competitive, putting the ball in Daniel Jones‘s hands.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
