The New York Giants will open up their regular season this Sunday against the NFC East division rival Dallas Cowboys, a tough way to begin the year, indeed.
The Cowboys have Ezekiel Elliott back in the fold, and for that reason, they are a darkhorse Super Bowl contender, as they have enough weapons on offense to at least be solid on that end and have a ferocious defense.
The Giants are, well, not that.
New York won just five games in 2018 and doesn't appear to even remotely resemble a playoff team heading into 2019, but stranger things have happened.
In order for the Giants to upset the Cowboys on the road in Week 1, they are going to need big performances from Eli Manning and Saquon Barkley. That much is obvious.
But New York is going to need another player to step up, and that player is tight end Evan Engram.
The Giants used a first-round pick on Engram two years ago, and he delivered with a terrific rookie campaign, hauling in 64 receptions for 722 yards and six touchdowns in 2017.
Injuries then limited him to just 11 games last season, but during the time he was on the field, he was productive, catching 45 passes for 577 yards and three scores.
With Odell Beckham Jr. gone, Corey Coleman out for the season, Golden Tate suspended for the first four games and Sterling Shepard having missed the entire preseason due to a thumb injury, Engram will be front and center for the season opener.
This dude is an athletic freak who has the ability to develop into one of the game's best tight ends, and I think we will begin to see him truly blossom this year with more opportunity.
Engram is faster than a good number of running backs, and while his hands can use some work, his phenomenal athletic ability allows him to get to balls that most other tight ends in football simply can't come down with.
Expect to see an early dose of Engram on Sunday afternoon, and look for that to be a theme throughout the contest.
Manning will also be looking for Barkley and Shepard quite a bit, but Engram may end up eating as a result of Shepard likely not being in game shape and with all of the injuries and suspensions that have befallen the rest of the Giants' receiving corps.
Now, how much the Giants actually throw the ball in this game remains to be seen. Remember: Barkley is one of the best running backs in football, so New York will surely utilize him appropriately, particularly in a close game.
But Manning doesn't exactly have a ton of options in the aerial attack outside of Shepard and Engram (and Barkley out of the backfield), so it would not be the least bit surprising to see Engram get 10 or more targets against Dallas.
The Giants are facing an uphill battle in this one. The Cowboys are simply the better (and healthier) team, and they are at home. So, chances are, Dallas will emerge victorious.
But, if Manning takes care of the football and Barkley can puncture the Cowboys' defense, a big performance from Engram could help Big Blue pull off the upset in Big D.
Follow Us
Subscribe