The New York Giants will enter their Week 17 matchup as home underdogs against the Los Angeles Rams (currently +4.5).
The Giants have lost two straight games but will have Tyrod Taylor starting under center for the first time since Week 8 against the New York Jets.
Meanwhile, the Rams have won two straight games and five of their last six games.
Here are three causes for concern for the Giants ahead of Week 17.
Rams are rolling
After starting off 3-6 on the season, the Rams have rattled off five wins in their last six games.
In that six-game stretch, the Rams are averaging over 29 points per game. Chasing a score in the high 20s could be problematic for the Giants as they have struggled to put points on the board all year long.
Giants are banged up
Wednesday’s injury report was an extensive one for Big Blue with a ton of key players listed.
Those players include Dexter Lawrence, Deonte Banks, Saquon Barkley, Ben Bredeson, Adoree Jackson, Jamie Gillan, Justin Pugh, John Michael Schmitz, Wan’Dale Robinson and Darren Waller.
If any of those players are not able to play on Sunday it will hurt the Giants chances of pulling off the upset. Frankly, even if they are all able to go, clearly, they will be far from healthy collectively.
With the Giants as banged up as they are on the offensive line, Aaron Donald may have one of his better games of the season on Sunday.
Rams' playoff race
The Rams currently hold the sixth spot in the NFC with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
The race for the final two playoff spots in the NFC is extremely tight with a handful of teams battling for those two spots.
The Giants, meanwhile, were officially eliminated from postseason contention following their loss against the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas Day.
The Rams will likely come out with a sense of urgency on Sunday with much more on the line than the Giants.
