Giants vs. Chargers preview

The Giants enter tomorrow’s home game against San Diego with something to prove.  They began the season 5-0 but have now dropped three straight games to New Orleans, Arizona and Philadelphia, respectively.  Everyone is saying the Giants’ soft schedule to start the season was the reason for the good start, and that they can’t beat the better teams.  Well, tomorrow they need to win to shut everyone up and make themselves feel good heading into they bye week.  Here is how we see it shaking out…

OFFENSE

The Giants will need to run the ball effectively to control the clock, and you can expect a heavy dose of both Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw as the Chargers are prone to giving up yardage between the tackles.  Doing so would free up Eli Manning and let him use play action a bit more to keep the Chargers D honest.  The Chargers, meanwhile, have LaDainian Tomlinson, who is getting healthier and returning to form, but overall San Diego is near the bottom of the NFL pack in rushing offense.  So they will try to take advantage of a very banged up Giants’ secondary, and Philip Rivers and his big receivers should be able to do just that.  EDGE: CHARGERS

DEFENSE

Both teams are better against the pass than the run, and the Giants are so far better against the run than San Diego.  However, against the Eagles, as well as in Week 2 against Dallas, the Giants gave up huge chunks of yardage on the ground and could not recover.  So that needs to improve, as does their pass rush, which has been a shell of its former self under new DC Bill Sheridan.  EDGE: EVEN

SPECIAL TEAMS

The G-men have been losing the battle of field position, especially the last two weeks against Arizona and Philly, and that cannot continue since the Chargers’ O can explode quickly for points.  Lawrence Tynes continues to lead the NFL in kicking but like me, I’m sure he scares you every time he trots in.  Nate Kaeding does the same thing to Chargers’ fans, however.  Mike Scifres is one of the best punters in the game, and Jeff Feagles has been too, but not the last few contests.  And the Chargers have the very dangerous Darren Sproles returning both punts and kickoffs.  The G-men have the slumping Domenik Hixon and shaky Sinorice Moss, but Danny Ware may see some playing time too.  EDGE: CHARGERS

COACHING

For whatever reason, Norv Turner cannot get his team off to a good start, and this year is no exception, as his team is off to a somewhat shaky 4-3 and trailing the Denver Broncos by 2 games in the AFC West.  Tom Coughlin has to try and stop the obvious bleeding, and he’s proven that he can do it…remember when the G-men were 0-2 looking at 0-3 before they rattled off a whole bunch of wins and went on to Super Bowl glory two seasons ago?  EDGE: GIANTS

INTANGIBLES

The Giants, quite honestly, need this game more than the Chargers do.  Well, maybe not, but hitting 5-4 at this point would border on disastrous.  And last year, the Chargers stormed back from 4-8 to win the division, so that’s the only reason they might need this game less…and that’s not saying much.  We just have to go with the home field here as well.  EDGE: GIANTS

THE PICK

Do you ever just have a hunch?  I have had a hunch the last three weeks that the Giants were going to lose, but I have the opposite feeling this time.  They are due for a win…due for making less mistakes than the other team, due for Eli Manning to have a big game, and due for their pass rush to come alive.  And let’s not forget, the Giants have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.  The Chargers are one of the best teams in the AFC, but they match up pretty evenly with the G-men, and so, again, we’re going with the home team to get it done before the bye.  GIANTS 30, CHARGERS 27

FANTASY OUTLOOK

For the Chargers, Philip Rivers and any of his receivers are good choices to start against the Giants.  Well, at least Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd.  TE Antonio Gates is injured and it’s showing in his stat line.  Kaeding is an okay start but stay away from the Chargers’ D in this one unless you have your main D on a bye.

For the G-men, it’s risky to start Manning or any of his receivers, especially since they have been struggling.  However, Jacobs and Bradshaw should put up good numbers and a score or two….with Jacobs being the safer start since Bradshaw is still battling a foot injury.  Kevin Boss is borderline too, as is the Giants’ recently shaky defense.  And Tynes, for as much as he drives us fans crazy, is money as a fantasy kicker.

Tags: AFC West, Ahmad Bradshaw, Antonio Gates, Arizona Cardinals, Bill Sheridan, Brandon Jacobs, Chargers, Chargers defense, Dallas Cowboys, Danny Ware, Darren Sproles, Denver Broncos, Domenik Hixon, Eli Manning, Giants, Giants defense, Giants schedule, Jeff Feagles, Kevin Boss, LaDainian Tomlinson, Lawrence Tynes, Malcolm Floyd, Mike Scifres, Nate Kaeding, New Orleans Saints, NFC East, Norv Turner, Philadelphia Eagles, Philip Rivers, Sinorice Moss, Super Bowl, Tom Coughlin, Vincent Jackson