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The New York Giants have a chance to get well in Week 2 of the 2023 season. They get a chance to go on the road and bond with each other after absorbing a 40-0 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys, and they can put the pain of that loss behind them by pounding the Arizona Cardinals.
For those that didn't pay attention in the offseason, the Cardinals appear to be in the tanking business during the 2023 season. The prize is USC quarterback Caleb Williams, last year's winner of the Heisman Trophy, and a gifted passer who appears to be ticketed for the No. 1 spot in next year's NFL Draft.
The Cardinals actually played a solid game in the opener before falling to the Washington Commanders by a 20-16 margin. Offensively, the Cardinals are limited with Joshua Dobbs at quarterback. While he did not throw an interception against Washington, he completed 21 of 30 passes for a paltry 132 yards. If the Giants can jump to an early lead in this game, they could put the Cardinals in a very bad position because Arizona simply does not have the firepower to catch up.
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On the other hand, the Giants have the offensive talent to take charge in this game and dictate the pace throughout.
3. Running back Saquon Barkley will look like a dominant force with 100-plus rushing yards and 2 touchdowns
When a team gets overwhelmed in its opener, the running game often gets shunted aside as the trailing team is desperate to catch up by throwing the football.
The Giants know that Saquon Barkley is their best player, and he should have far more than the 12 attempts he had against Dallas in Week 1. Instead, he should be the featured part of the game plan, and he could have 20 or more carries against Arizona and catch at least 5 passes out of the backfield.
Barkley ran for 1,312 yards a season ago, and he averaged 4.5 yards per carry while scoring 10 touchdowns. The ting that makes Barkley a special back is his ability to combine the power needed to get through the front seven and the speed to accelerate through the secondary.
If the Giants offensive line can perform adequately despite some injury problems, Barkley will have the kind of game that head coach Brian Daboll expects his superstar running back to deliver on a weekly basis.
2. Brian Daboll is a strong leader and knows how to prepare his team
Daboll demonstrated that he knows how to prepare his team and get them ready to take advantage of an opponent that has weaknesses.
After an early-season loss last year to the Cowboys, the Giants were sharp in a Week 3 victory over the Chicago Bears, and they followed that with victories over the Packers, Ravens and Jaguars.
Not only did the team have confidence in itself, it had it in the head coach to prepare adequately and consistently. Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will come up with the proper game plan to give the Giants an advantage over a Cardinals team by taking advantage of significant personnel edges.
The Giants' skill position players — particularly Daniel Jones and Barkley — will take advantage of an Arizona defense that came up with a decent effort vs. Washington bust lacks overall talent.
1. Quarterback Daniel Jones will bounce back 275 passing yards and 2 TD passes
Jones was under pressure throughout the Week 1 loss to the Cowboys by their dominant front 7, and he was sacked 7 times that cost the Giants 47 yards in losses.
Jones was on the move throughout the game, but it was not in an effort to make big plays with his legs. Instead, he was running for his life as the Dallas advantage in Week 1 turned into an avalanche against the Giants and their quarterback.
Look for Jones to have a much easier time of it against the Cardinals, and once he gets through the first series, he should be able to put up solid passing numbers to receivers Darius Slayton and Isaiah Hodgins as well as Barkley. If tight end Darren Waller (hamstring) can play, look for Jones to have an even more productive passing performance.
Jones will also be able to use his legs against the Cardinals, and that should allow the Giants to put the game away in the latter stages of the second half. The quarterback is an excellent runner, and he should be able to convert key third downs into game-clinching first downs with his running ability.
