Jason Leach
Winning tends to cure everything that is wrong with a team. This is why the New York Giants (0-2) are in desperate need of a win as they face the Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) Sunday night in their home opener.
Although both teams are winless, they’re on different spectrums of the NFL. The Chiefs are still considered one of the best teams in the AFC, whereas the Giants might be underdogs in every game they play this year.
But on any given Sunday, a team can pull off a monumental upset. With that said, here are the three biggest keys that will pave the way for the Giants to win their first game in 2025.
Stop the Run and Force One-Dimensional Offense
One of the reasons they hired Shane Bowen as their defensive coordinator in 2024 was his ability to devise a scheme to stop the run. Well, it’s safe to say that 19 games into his tenure as the DC with Big Blue, his task to stop the run has been an epic failure.
Last year, the unit finished 27th in run defense, and through two weeks this year, they’re dead last, allowing 177 yards per game. Fortunately for Bowen and the defense, they’re facing a Kansas City ground game that has been ineffective.
This year, Chiefs running backs have carried the ball 29 times for just 95 yards. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes leads the team in rushing with 123 yards on 13 scrambles and has scored the team’s two rushing touchdowns.
It’s imperative that the defense shuts down the ground game and makes the Chiefs one-dimensional, allowing their edge rushers — Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brian Burns, and Abdul Carter — to rush Mahomes relentlessly. If they struggle as they did in their first two games, Bowen needs to adjust by adding another defensive lineman to help Dexter Lawrence or devise a different scheme altogether.
Don’t Get Beat Deep
A big reason why the Chiefs have yet to score over 21 points this season is because they lost Xavier Worthy to a shoulder injury on the third offensive play of the year when he collided with Travis Kelce. Worthy is expected to make his return on Sunday, which could pose problems for New York’s secondary.
Worthy’s 40-yard dash time of 4.21 at the 2024 NFL Combine broke the record, and you can expect Mahomes and his cannon arm to try connecting deep with the second-year wideout. But Worthy isn’t the only speedy receiver Big Blue needs to be mindful of — Hollywood Brown ran a 4.27 time and is one of the fastest receivers in the league.
New York has been playing more man coverage this season, so the onus of covering the deep threats will fall on cornerbacks Paulson Adebo, Cor’Dale Flott, Dru Phillips, and Deonte Banks. Meanwhile, safeties Jevon Holland and Tyler Nubin must ensure Worthy and Brown don’t get behind them for a quick score.
Don’t Beat Yourselves
As for why the team lost last week to Dallas, they need only look in the mirror. Too many self-inflicted wounds led to their downfall.
Last week’s 40-37 loss to the Cowboys was the most frustrating loss of the Brian Daboll era, as they missed a golden opportunity to pick up a division win and end their losing streak in Dallas.
Not only couldn’t they protect a three-point lead with 25 seconds remaining because they didn’t play tight coverage, but they were flagged for 14 penalties totaling 160 yards. Those penalties took points off the board, and missed scoring opportunities will always come back to haunt you.
New York isn’t talented enough to overcome mental mistakes against an average team, let alone the three-time defending AFC Champions with the league’s best head coach in Andy Reid. Limit the penalties, and they have a real chance at pulling off the upset. Repeat last week’s undisciplined performance, and they’ll be staring at an 0-3 start.
