Five Storylines to Watch in Giants' Week 1 Game vs. Cowboys
Week 1's opener against the Cowboys is just days away. So, let's take a quick look at some of the storylines that will be discussion points in the days leading up to this huge Week 1 NFC East battle.
Evan Neal's Redemption
Last year in Week 3, Giants right tackle Evan Neal had arguably the worst night of his young career against the Dallas pass rush, especially DeMarcus Lawrence.
Per Pro Football Focus, Neal allowed five pressures and three sacks, as he simply had no answers for the veteran pass rusher. But to be fair to Neal, the eighth overall pick in last year's draft, he was adjusting to playing right tackle after playing the previous season on the left side and was struggling with some new technique work aimed at helping his balance and reaction.
That was then, and this is now. And Neal, who spent the off-season looking to clean up a lot of what ailed his game last season, thinks that his work has paid off.
"I feel like I have gotten better, but like I said, I still have a lot more work to go," he said toward the tail end of the preseason, citing his balance and technique as areas where he's improved. "I’m going to continue to work on my craft, get better every day, and see how good I get."
Head coach Brian Daboll agreed that Neal has improved, adding, "Now, we will go out there and play against a really good defensive front, and he’s going to have to trust his techniques and fundamentals and communicate with the offensive line, but he’s done a good job the whole offseason."
Many are hoping for Neal to take the kind of leap Andrew Thomas took in his second season. While that would be nice for Neal to achieve as well, at the very minimum, the Giants need him to be much more consistent than he was a year ago.
The New Secondary
While the Giants are not one to announce ahead of time how much any one particular lineup is going to play in a given week, all eyes figure to be on the defensive secondary, where it's anticipated we will see a lot of rookies Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins III as the outside corners, and Adoree' Jackson in the slot.
"The game has changed. It’s a little bit more of a spread game, so it’s – when you’re recruiting college football, there are a little bit more receivers out there, some more DBs," Daboll said of the tendency for teams to move their players around to create better matchup scenarios.
" I’d say that with the game becoming more spread out, the need for more corners and skill players for the space element is important."
Jackson is not exactly a stranger to playing in the slot--he's had a handful of snaps for the team in that spot last year, which is when he said the concept first came up. And because he's willing to try it, the Giants might be better able to match up against CeeDee Lamb, who can toast a team with his speed and shiftiness.
"Last year, we played a lot of different coverages and games where we matched and (Jackson) played inside, he played outside, so he has position flexibility. We’ll try to use him best we can," Daboll said.
Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how whoever draws Brandin Cooks holds up in coverage.
Saquon's Debut
Giants running back Saquon Barkley had a relatively quiet summer in that he not only didn't appear in any of the preseason games, but he did his business to gear up for what's a very important season.
Sunday night could potentially be a big night for him. By all accounts, the Cowboys didn't upgrade their run defense, which allowed 129.3 rushing yards per game last year (22nd in the league).
The Giants might be tempted to break out their new toys in the receiving game--Darren Waller, Jalin Hyatt, and Parris Campbell--. Still, if gaining the competitive advantage is all about exploiting an opponent's weaknesses, logic would dictate that the Giants might lean a little more heavily on Barkley, who has two career 100-yard rushing games against Dallas, to put stress on that Cowboys run defense.
Finishing Off Dak
Last year, the Giants defense registered zero sacks against the Cowboys quarterbacks, Cooper Rush in Week 3 and Dak Prescott in Week 12.
Why was that?
"I think they did a good job controlling the game," Daboll said. "They were playing on early downs--there wasn’t a ton of third downs, particularly in the second half, they ran the ball well. They did a good job protecting, they’ve got a good offensive line, they played good football on offense in terms of taking care of the quarterback, controlling the line of scrimmage, and then making timely plays down the field."
This year, things might be different for the Cowboys. They no longer have Zeke Elliott. Tony Pollard is still rounding into shape from his season-ending leg injury. If they can't run the ball with any kind of authority on first and second down, that should benefit the Giants' pass rush in their attempt to get at the quarterback and bring him down.
The Cowboys' New Play Caller
The Cowboys moved on from offensive coordinator Kellen Moore after last season and have put the play-calling duties in the hands of head coach Mike McCarthy.
Having done it in Green Bay and San Francisco, McCarthy is no stranger to calling plays, so there is some tape out there regarding what he likes to do. But then again, what he did was with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, a much more established and different quarterback than Dak Prescott.
Despite there being tape on McCarthy as a play-caller, Daboll said there are still enough unknowns as to what they can expect with McCarthy now calling plays for Dallas.
"Got a lot of respect for Coach McCarthy. He was a coordinator back in 2000, I think, for the 49ers. So, he’s been doing this a long time," he said. "Has a good track record, been very successful. What he is choosing to call or how he’s calling it, we won’t know that until Sunday."
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