Despite a surprising 5-1 record on the season, the New York Giants go into their matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars as underdogs when they travel to Jacksonville for Sunday’s matchup.
The Giants are currently on a three-game winning streak with their last two wins against former MVP quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson.
Meanwhile, after a 2-1 start, the Jaguars are trying to put an end to a three-game losing streak. But their record aside, the Jaguars are not a team to be taken lightly as Giants head coach Brian Daboll alluded to. Their two wins were impressive as they shut out the Indianapolis Colts, 24-0, in Week 2 and beat down the Los Angeles Chargers, 38-10, in Week 3.
With the Giants trying to keep their streak alive, here are some causes for concern for Big Blue going into Week 7.
Jaguars rushing attack
Last week, despite the return of defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the lineup, the Giants got torched on the ground for 211 yards.
The Jaguars have a balanced one-two punch in the backfield with both James Robinson and Travis Etienne Jr. having rushed for over 300 yards thus far this season.
The Jaguars are top-10 rushing team and paired with the Giants’ third-most rushing yards allowed this season, this is certainly something Big Blue should game plan against going into Sunday.
Giants' passing game
The Giants still have no return of Kenny Golladay or Kadarius Toney in sight and, currently, there is not a single receiver on the roster that has eclipsed 200 yards on the season.
The Jaguars are tied for the fifth-most interceptions in the league with seven so far this year. Daniel Jones has done well to limit the turnovers, particularly the interceptions this year, so the Giants will hope to continue that trend on Sunday.
The Giants lack of separation by their receivers has been a problem for a large portion of the season. Hopefully, with Wan’Dale Robinson getting more snaps in his second game back this coming Sunday, Jones can start relying more on the rookie.
Giants backs vs. Jaguars run stoppers
One of the bigger reasons for the Giants’ success this year has been the resurgence of Saquon Barkley. He’s been the engine that has kept the Giants offense moving throughout the season.
With Andrew Thomas dealing with an injury, it may be difficult for the Giants move the ball through the running game as well as they have.
The Giants’ offensive line as a whole has looked much better in the last couple of weeks. The line will certainly need to play well opening up running lanes for Barkley and the running game. The Jaguars have given up just 536 yards on the ground which is good for the fifth-best in the league.
The Giants have been committed to sticking to the run more and more as the season has gone along and will likely continue that this Sunday.
