The New York Giants travel to London, England for a showcase matchup against the Green Bay Packers in Week 5. The Giants aim to build on their Week4 victory over the Chicago Bears against a Packers squad on a three-game win streak. Here are our New York Giants Week 5 predictions as they take on the Packers.
The Giants take on the Packers, who are making their first trip to London. With first-year coach Brian Daboll, New York's defense has been outstanding, allowing only 20 points or less in every game. However, they haven't encountered a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers yet, so this will be a big test for them.
The Giants, on the other hand, may be missing Daniel Jones (ankle injury), so the Packers will most likely fill the box to slow down Saquon Barkley and the league's top rushing offense.
With that in mind, here are our four bold predictions for the New York Giants in their Week 5 game against the Packers.
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Soon 👀 pic.twitter.com/AERxonIufF
— New York Giants (@Giants) October 5, 2022
4. Giants defense will be severely tested by Aaron Rodgers
Since a dismal Week 1, Aaron Rodgers has been on a bit of an upswing, though most of his throwing metrics place him in the middle of the pack as an NFL quarterback in 2022. Through four games, Rodgers has a 6:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, ranks 18th in pass attempts, 18th in pass yards, and 16th in yards per attempt. Through four games, Rodgers is rated 25th in air yards as the Packers try to step back from their air game and focus on their rushing attack in the aftermath of the Davante Adams deal.
While the Packers have had some real-world success with this approach, it has been a bit of an adjustment for Rodgers since he no longer has the high passing volume he's used to. Looking ahead to Week 5, the Giants are not a particularly difficult matchup for quarterbacks so he should still flourish.
The Giants defense did pretty well against Justin Fields last week, but Rodgers is a big step up from Fields. The Packers offensive line has also benefitted from the return of David Bakhtiari, so the Giants will have their work cut out for them. They will likely allow Rodgers to throw over 250 yards and two touchdowns in this game.
3. Daniel Jones plays and passes for under 200 yards
Daniel Jones twisted his ankle against Chicago last week, and his backup, Tyrod Taylor, was knocked out with a concussion. In the fourth quarter, the Giants were actually limited to Saquon Barkley taking snaps in the wildcat configuration.
Despite these, we still expect Jones to suit up and play for the Giants in Week 5.
We don't like New York's prospects if Jones, who is a great dual-threat QB, is forced to stay in the pocket too long. Having said that, the Giants likely have no other option right now. They surely won't risk him rushing with his ankle's current status.
With Jones probably exclusively relying on his dropbacks and his passing, the Giants won't have much variety on offense. Take note as well that it's difficult to breathe life into a Giants passing game that saw the team's few healthy wideouts combine for an awful 25 yards on three catches against the Bears last week. This means that Jones will put up under 200 yards in London.
2. Saquon Barkley tops 150+ rushing yards
Saquon Barkley seems to be the standout running back he was during his first two years in the NFL after a pair of injury-plagued seasons. This season, Barkley has a league-leading 115.8 rushing yards per game and should be the Giants' primary Week 5 weapon.
Keep in mind that Barkley rushed for 146 yards on 31 runs in a win over the Bears last week, continuing his strong start to the season. He also added two grabs for 16 yards, bringing his season total to 15 catches. Barkley is the only thing going well on the New York offense, and he is the main reason the club is 3-1.
He will have to work in Week 5, though. Barkley will face a Packers defense that ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of rushing yards allowed per game. However, they still have solid tacklers like De'Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker. This will be a tougher matchup than the Bears, but Barkley should still put up solid numbers. Expecting 150+ total yards from him should be reasonable.
1. Giants lose to Packers and fall to 3-2
The New York Giants are 3-1, but their offense ranks 22nd in yards per game (332), 18th in points (19.0), and has yet to break 200 passing yards in a game. The Packers also present their first major acid test of 2022.
Despite the lack of an explosive passing attack, the Giants offense has produced many positive results through four games. With an offensive line overhaul, running back Saquon Barkley is great, and the whole rushing approach is adaptable. In addition, Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka's game plans are flexible and full of in-game modifications.
We will see how all those will hold up in London against the red-hot Packers, who are winners of three straight games.
Take note as well that Green Bay leads the Giants in the regular season series 29-23-2, with the Giants winning three of the previous five meetings.
The most recent encounter took place on December 1, 2019 at MetLife Stadium. The Packers won the game 31-13. Daniel Jones, the Giants' rookie quarterback, threw three interceptions in that game.
New York will feature a hampered Jones and an offense that will be anchored almost exclusively on their rushing attack. That means the Giants will be underdogs in London. The Packers aren't perfect themselves, of course. However, with Aaron Rodgers under center, they should be heavy favorites to beat the Giants in Week 5.
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