***SNF IN THE SWAMP - NYG @ DEN***
***NEW YORK GIANTS @ DENVER BRONCOS***
Keeping it short and to the point here frankly because there isn't much to analyze or go over. The Giants are a complete joke thus far this season still sitting winless on the year with an 0-5 record. This team was supposed to be a a Super Bowl contender! Shameful. To put salt in the wound, now they have been hit heavily with the injury bug and hit with it all at once! WRs Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall are both out for the year and Sterling Shepard is out at least for tonight as well. That leaves them with a handful of inexperienced backups to fill the void in Roger Lewis, Tavarres King, and Travis Rudolph to name a few. Needless to say they will have their work cut out for them in their first go round tonight in the Mile HIgh City against one of best defenses the NFL has to offer in the Denver Broncos. I think Rookie TE Evan Engram will be key tonight as well in splitting out as a WR and trying to exploit this secondary downfield because these fresh WRs will surely struggle against arguably the best CB tandem in the game in Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib. Eli Manning is still the QB though, and I know many like to knock this guy and get on him about his nonchalant personality and pretty much how he can plain suck from time to time. I always argue in favor of him against his naysayers because the man has given NY everything they could ask for. He has been knocked around more than most during his career and he never misses a game, the dude is like a zombie out there. Ya can't keep him down! He has also proven to be clutch in spots you think he has no business succeeding in, such as tonight. He is a Manning afterall and playing in one of older brother Peyton's old stomping grounds. They are down a RB in Paul Perkins but they have been a stable by committee all year any way. RB Shane Vereen should be back as well and also help in the passing game. The dreadful Offensive Line has shuffled once again and maybe this time around they have the right combination to give Eli some time to throw, and maybe not. We will surely find out soon against LB Von Miller, but the Giants have moved Justin Pugh over to RT to help slow him down some hopefully.
On defense the GMen are also down a few key guys. LB Olivier Vernon and Jonathan Castillas are still hurt and the suspension of CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie doesn't help the situation either. Big Blue still has a ton of talent on that side of the ball even without these guys and have yet to play up to the level of their shutdown potential that they did all of last season. Safety Landon Collins is a full go tonight and I like these DBs to give young Bronco QB Trevor Siemian some fits tonight in the passing game. DE Jason Pierre-Paul and DT Snax Harrison are still on that defensive front last I checked, and I like them to step up and help stifle this Bronco offense tonight. This is it for the Giants and they know it. It is officially put up or shut up time, it already was last week but now there is no doubt about it, ha! If they get destroyed tonight they might as well trade Eli and pack it in, a HUGE upset win and maybe they spark something special in a young season. Regardless of the outcome, I like them to answer the bell and give maximum effort tonight which should result in them keeping things within the number. Yes they are 0-5 but like the 49ers and the Chargers, a little luck their way and they could easily have 4 wins. Not to mention the teams they have played are no slouches either in my opinion. The manhood of the GMen has been challenged, now let's see what kind of backbone they got! GIANTS+13.5
