New York Giants vs. Arizona Cardinals: 3 causes for concern in Week 4 - Giants Wire
The New York Giants will welcome the Arizona Cardinals for their Week 4 matchup, their second straight game at MetLife Stadium.
The Giants are coming off an ugly win built on four field goals from kicker Dominic Zvada in a wet, sloppy game against the Tennessee Titans. The victory improved the Giants' record to 2-1, though with both Jaxson Dart and Brian Burns out for the season, expectations have certainly taken a hit.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, just dropped their second straight game to fall to 1-2 after playing the San Francisco 49ers tough and losing by just six this past week.
With the Giants and Cardinals set to face off on Sunday, here are three causes for concern.
The Giants have not scored a touchdown since Week 1, when they defeated the Dallas Cowboys. With the injuries to Jaxson Dart and Brian Burns, that Week 1 victory already feels like a distant memory. Ever since Dart went down, the offense has struggled, especially in the passing game. The Giants were able to move the ball against the Titans, but it was mostly on the ground, and they stalled once they reached the red zone.
After watching the Cardinals put up 30 points against an impressive 49ers defense, settling for field goals on Sunday simply will not be enough to improve to 3-1. The Giants will have to find some offense.
The Giants secured the win on Sunday with an interception by Jevon Holland. They also let two interceptions slip through the hands of Dru Phillips and Tremaine Edmunds, either of which would have made the game a little easier. Jameis Winston has more interceptions (1) than touchdowns (0) since he took over as the starter.
The Giants have had their share of fumbling issues as well. Cam Skattebo had one against the Titans that luckily went out of bounds. He also fumbled in Week 1 against the Cowboys, one of five Giants fumbles in that game, though they lost only one of them.
Arizona has won the turnover battle in two of their three games. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett has done a good job protecting the ball so far this season.
If the Giants continue to put the ball in danger and miss opportunities for takeaways, they are eventually going to pay for it. That bill could come due against Arizona this week.
Coming into the season, the Giants' defensive line, and particularly their pass rush, was supposed to be one of the more feared units in the league. Through three games, it has left plenty to be desired. Now the Giants will have to move forward without Brian Burns, their best pass rusher, who had 16.5 sacks last season.
If Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux do not start to prove their worth, the defense will be in trouble. The Giants are already struggling in the secondary, and if they cannot hurry the quarterback, that could spell disaster, not just this week but for the rest of the season as well.
