New York Giants: Biggest Storylines Ahead of Week 14

Can the Giants keep their quest for the NFC East title this weekend by holding off the Arizona Cardinals? That and more in this week's top storylines.

The New York Giants are still in first place and will remain there so long as they stay a step or two ahead of the Washington Football team, their closest competitor for the division crown, and the team that knocked off the Pittsburgh Steelers, the last of the undefeated clubs this season.

Can Big Blue, who is on a four-game winning streak, make it five against a reeling Arizona Cardinals team? Head coach Joe Judge likes to remind us that you can’t take what happened in the week before and use that in the upcoming week, but this is a Giants team that appears to have finally put it all together and which has looked good doing so.

Whereas at the start of this season, no one probably would have given the Giants much of a chance in this game, the Giants do indeed have an opportunity and a good one at that against a Cardinals team that has hit the skids of late.

Let’s look at the top storylines this week.

1. Daniel’s return?

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones desperately wanted to play in last week’s game against Seattle despite being significantly limited in practice with a hamstring strain. But Judge wasn’t having it and put his foot down, saving the offensive team captain from himself.

“Look, I had to make the decision this week to go ahead and hold him out,” Judge said. “He was a little disappointed because he’s a competitive guy.”

But this week is a new week, and the good news for Jones is he’s going to get an opportunity to show Judge that he’s able to defend himself on the field. To do that, he needs to show he’s mobile enough to move out of harm’s way in addition to doing all the things that a quarterback needs to do to run the game plan.

Last week the Giants finished with a season-low 100 net passing yards. Last week the Cardinals gave up 344 passing yards, so if Jones can return to action—and there is growing optimism he will be able to do just that—he’ll give the team a chance to double its passing yardage output from last week.

2. Angry Birds

After a 5-2 start and a promising hold on a playoff spot, the Cardinals have lost four out of their last five and their last three in a row, their last loss being a 10-point difference to the Los Angeles Rams. At 6-6, they’d currently be the eighth seed in the NFC playoff picture. That means they’d be on the outside looking in if the season were to end today.

That also means a desperate Cardinals team needs this game, and you can bet they’re going to come out all fired up and looking to flex their muscle against a Giants team that is riding high after beating the Seattle Seahawks last week.

3. Fitz to Return?

Future Hall of Fame receiver Larry Fitzgerald was removed from the COVIF-19 list, where he had been since November 26. But despite being active, it’s unknown if he’ll be active against the Giants and, if so, how much he’ll be able to do.

This season, Fitzgerald, who has 43 receptions for 336 yards, missed the Cardinals' last two games. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Arizona offense recorded 170 and 173 passing yards, respectively, their second and third-lowest passing total outputs this season.

Even if the Cardinals can get a handful of snaps from Fitzgerald, that’s better than nothing as without him, teams can put the bullseye on DeAndre Hopkins, held to 55 and 52 yards in those two games Fitzgerald was out of action.

4. Isaiah is Coming

Remember Isaiah Simmons, the Swiss Army knife on defense that many Giants fans were hoping for in this year’s draft? Well, this week, if you were among them, you’ll get your first up close and personal look at Simmons when he comes to town.

Simmons hasn’t played all that much as a rookie—just 240 defensive snaps—and his production reflects his limited opportunities. Still, after a slow start to his NFL career, Simmons is reportedly catching on to things and having the game slow down.

In his last five games, Simmons has seen his snap counts on defense increase, and he’s delivered six total pressures and 11 out of his 13 season stops.

The Cardinals coaching staff has figured out how to deploy his talents best, and it could just be a matter of when before he has his breakout game. For the Giants’ sake, hopefully, it won’t be against them.

5. Familiar Faces

Josh Mauro, Devon Kennard, Justin Pugh, and Markus Golden are all former Giants who probably will be approaching this game with a little extra gas in their respective tanks.

Can any of them wreck the Giants' four-week-old party? Suppose you had to put money on someone to be a thorn in the Giants' side. In that case, you’d probably figure Budda Baker, Haason Riddick, Kenyon Drake, Kyler Murray, or DeAndre Hopkins would be your leading candidates, but hey, stranger things have happened. 

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