The Arizona Cardinals face the New York Giants Sunday afternoon in Week 2 at State Farm Stadium. Both teams seek their first win of the season.
To help preview the game, Giants Wire managing editor Dan Benton takes us behind enemy lines to know more about the Giants.
Buy Cardinals TicketsHis answers to my questions are below.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
So...Week 1. What happened? (40-0 loss to the Cowboys)
Take your pick. The Giants couldn’t pass protect, they couldn’t create any pressure, they couldn’t tackle, they couldn’t catch, they couldn’t hold into the ball, they couldn’t convert field goals, they couldn’t cover, they couldn’t stop the run, they made poor decisions across the board, they lacked fight and they quit before halftime. That’s the list and I am still failing to name the 500 other things that went wrong. It was the worst performance I’ve ever covered in my 20-plus years and the worst performance I’ve personally seen in my lifetime watching the Giants. Ugly isn’t even the word.
Isaiah Simmons
What have been early returns on LB Isaiah Simmons? How is he being used? How has he looked?
t’s really too early to evaluate. The sample size is minimal and although they had a small package for Simmons in Week 1, any fair evaluation was washed away by the team-wide futility. If I had to pinpoint something, there were a few plays where Simmons was obviously confused about his assignment and somehow managed to overcome that using sheer athleticism and speed. As far as what to expect from him moving forward, he’ll see a lot of time at inside linebacker but I wouldn’t pigeonhole him to that singular position. Wink Martindale’s defense is positionless and Simmons is about as positionless a player as it gets. He’ll be used all over in varying roles throughout the season. I’d expect his snap count to increase each week.
2023 offense
What can we expect differently about the Giants in 2023 offensively, or is it expected to be the Saquon show again?
I’d argue that it wasn’t really the “Saquon Barkley show” last year. I realize that’s the common narrative but Barkley saw fewer and fewer carries as the season moved along and the Giants got further and further away from him being the focal point of their offense. He wore down a bit late, was struggling to break tackles, picking up minimal yards after contact and lacked any of that true game-changing explosiveness that’s been a staple of his game. It really became more of the Daniel Jones show with the quarterback carrying the entirety of the offensive weight, using both his legs and arm to propel the Giants forward with their rag-tag group of receivers. That was expected to evolve this season with the Giants relying more heavily on the pass thanks to improvements at both wide receiver and tight end, but none of that matters if the offensive line can’t pass protect. If Week 1 is any indication, Jones will probably have to circle back to 2022 and once again find ways to do it all himself, largely using his legs to keep the chains moving. That’s obviously not what the Giants want but wish in one hand and (expletive) in the other and see which one gets filled first.
Wink and the D
What has Wink Martindale brought to the defense?
Martindale is extremely aggressive and intelligent. He’s like a football encyclopedia who prides himself on winning mental battles against his opponents — whether they be offensive coordinators or quarterbacks. He’s extremely competitive and his blitz-happy nature is energizing. He puts all of his players in the best situations to find success and continues to make things happen despite lacking top-end talent at some positions and depth at others. If he never becomes a head coach in the NFL it will be a damn shame. He really does deserve it.
Daniel Jones
What is Daniel Jones?
My opinion of Daniel Jones hasn’t wavered. He’s an extremely talented athlete, a top-end dual-threat quarterback who has a strong arm and can make every throw on the field while also beating you with his legs. He’s a tireless worker with one of the highest football IQs I’ve ever seen who has been and continues to be bogged down by league-worst offensive lines, sub-par receiving talent and constantly changing coaches and offensive systems. He’s wasting all of his potential success in New York and I, for one, would love to see what he’s capable of with better surroundings. Unfortunately, he’s locked in with the Giants long-term and I fear his career will forever be anchored as a result, preventing him from ever reaching his true ceiling.
Making a pick
Frankly, after that horrid Week 1 display, I don’t see this game playing out the way many “experts” seem to. Sure, the Cardinals sport a lacking roster as they dive head-first into a complete rebuild but the Giants just aren’t good. They are incapable of being good thanks to some of the worst offensive line play you’ll ever see, lacking team depth and injuries that they can never seem to escape. I do think they’ll pick up the win on Sunday, but it will come in an ugly, low-scoring affair that comes down to the final seconds.
Giants 19, Cardinals 17
