The New York Giants (5-10) host the Los Angeles Rams (8-7) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on New Year’s Eve afternoon.
Here are five things to know heading into the Week 17 game.
The series
This will mark the 45th regular-season meeting between the Giants and Rams going back to 1938 when the Rams were in Cleveland.
The Rams have a 29-17 advantage in the series (including the last three) and are 14-9 against Big Blue on the road. The teams have met twice in the postseason. The Giants won in 1984 and the Rams prevailed in 1990.
The teams last met on October 17, 2021 at MetLife Stadium, with the Rams winning, 38-11.
The Rams are hot
Los Angeles began the season with a 3-6 record but have since righted their ship, winning five of their last six games — the only loss coming against the Baltimore Ravens, the AFC’s top-seeded team — in overtime on the road.
The Rams currently hold the sixth seed in the NFC with an 8-7 record.
The Rams can clinch a playoff berth this weekend with a win over the Giants plus a Seattle loss or a Green Bay-Minnesota tie.
Giants are officially out of the playoffs
The Giants have lost their last two games after winning their previous three.
At 5-10, they have been eliminated from the NFC Playoff picture and are basically playing out the string.
Big Blue is currently ranked 13th in the NFC and are in third place in the NFC East.
If the season were to end today, the Giants would hold the fifth overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft.
Rams players to watch
The Rams’ season has gone better than expected mainly due to three players: quarterback Matthew Stafford, running back Kyren Williams, and rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua.
Stafford has played in 14 of the Rams’ 15 games this season, posting an 8-6 record. He is in the top 10 in almost all of the major statistical categories including passing yards and touchdown passes.
Williams is second in the NFL in rushing with 1,057 yards and has nine total touchdowns. Only San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey has rushed for more yards this season.
Nacua is fourth in the NFL in receiving yards (1,327) and tied for eighth in receptions (96). With two games remaining, Nacua can come close to — or surpass — rookie records in receptions, yardage, touchdown catches, and 100 and 150-yard games.
Sean McVay on the Giants
Rams head coach Sean McVay was asked to provide his initial impression of the Giants on Tuesday.
“I think it is every single week because every team is dangerous, but you look at the run they went on when they won three in a row and how capable
they are,” he said.
“They’re really opportunistic. You look at what a great job they did taking the ball away and then they get two turnovers, one on special teams,
and then one on defense that turns into points immediately yesterday. So we’ve got to do a great job with our preparation. The challenge is always to be able to play four quarters.
“On the positive side, what I have liked about both the Washington and the New Orleans games is even though they started to get some momentum, the offense was able to get the ball and close the games out.
“You look at…there’s some positives to take away, but certainly the execution through 60 minutes and all four quarters is a key and critical factor and that’ll definitely be something that we’ll continue to emphasize every single week, but especially given the things that you brought up about the Giants.
“We know we’ve got a great challenge ahead.”
