NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The New York Giants and the Tennessee Titans will open their respective season in a matchup of teams that will look to focus on the run. Last season, the Giants finished their campaign 4-13 while the Titans ended the year 12-5. The Giants will head into the season with a new head coach in Brain Daboll while the Titans will look to try to replace the talented receiver AJ Brown who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason. Here is a breakdown of what to expect in their Week 1 matchup.
Giants Offense vs Titans Defense
The Giants have struggled on offense since Daniel Jones took over. Last season, Jones passed for 2428 yards with 10 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions in 11 starts. To say Jones struggled is an understatement. But all the blame is not him. The ground game suffered with Saquon Barkley gaining only 593 yards on 162 attempts and scoring just 2 TDs. For the Giants to make waves against the Titans, they will need Jones to be accurate and smart. Barkley will need to be aggressive, and their receivers will need to run crisp routes and hold on to the ball. The Giants ranked 31st in Passing Yards and 24th in Rushing Yards last season. What it boils down to is execution for the G-Men.
The Titans’ defense can give up big plays in the passing game. But against the run, they are stout. Last season, they finished the year ranked 2nd in Rushing Yards allowed and this does not bode well for the G-Men. That means that Jones will have to beat them with his arm. However, the Titans have had trouble in that department. In 2021, the Titans finished the year ranked 25th in Passing Yards allowed. But they also know how to get to the QB as they finished with 43 sacks and 16 Interceptions.
Giants Defense vs Titans Offense
The G-Men have their work cut out for them in Week 1 as they go against arguably the most bruising RB in the NFL in Derrick Henry. Last season, the Giants finished the year ranked 25th in Rushing Yards allowed and 25th in Yards Per Carry. Going against Henry will be a true test to see if the Giants have improved over the offseason. While Ryan Tannehill is no Drew Brees, this will be another test to see how they handle the intermediate passes across the middle with the Titans looking for the play-action. But can they get to Tannehill and provide pressure? The Giants racked up 34 Sacks and snagged 15 Interceptions in 2021.
The Titans have one goal on offense. Give the ball to Henry and get out his way. Going against the Giants’ defense should bode well for the All-Pro RB. For a team that gives up 4.5 yards per carry, Henry could have 120+ rushing yards on the day. But can Tannehill find the open receiver? With Brown gone, that means that Robert Woods becomes the main guy. Woods and Tannehill could have a field day through the air.
Game Prediction
A new season but the same issues for the New York Giants will arise. Can the secondry stop Robert Woods? Will the frontline be able to contain Derrick Henry? On the offensive side of the ball, can Daniel Jones make the throws necessary to keep the Titans’ defense off-balance? And most importantly, which version of Barkley will the Giants get? The game will not be as high-scoring as some of the others in Week 1. Expect the G-Men to exit Tennessee with a loss.
