3 Things To Watch In Giants Vs. Texans

The New York Giants travel to Houston hoping for a bounce-back week against the Texans. After a tough 34-27 loss to the Saints, the Giants hope that this week brings better luck. They need to forget how poorly they played in the first three quarters and focus on replicating their fourth-quarter success. The coaching staff has emphasized this at practice this week. Defensive Coordinator Denard Wilson was candid with the media that the defense needs to play better, and that they have “traditors to the defense” these past few weeks.

This is the type of coach the Giants have desperately needed. Some may not like coaches calling out players in the media, but Wilson is just holding guys accountable. For years, it has felt like the Giants have had no discipline. The coaches were afraid to call out players and hold them accountable for poor play. But with Harbaugh and this staff, those days are over, and poor play will have consequences. We should see that this week against the Texans, along with answers to these three questions.

What Will JJ McCarthy Do Under Center?

All the discourse surrounding the Giants this week has centered around JJ McCarthy making his first start for the Giants. After another poor outing from Jameis Winston against the Saints, Harbaugh decided to make the shift in the fourth quarter. That proved to be the right call: McCarthy completed 11 passes for 243 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. He was also a completion short of finishing a 24-point comeback. It was a very promising outing, and it earned him the start against the Texans.

While McCarthy looked good against the Saints, some people wonder whether he can repeat it. He came in during “garbage time” with the Saints playing soft coverage. What happens when he plays the whole game? Will he replicate what he did and give Giants fans hope he can be the answer at QB for the rest of the season? Or will he go back to the player he was in Minnesota and make the Giants quarterback situation worse? Playing a tough Texans defense should give us that answer.

Will a Third Offensive Threat Emerge for the Giants?

So far this season, two standout stars have emerged on the offense. The first one is Malik Nabers. After missing most of last season with a torn ACL, he’s returned and reminded everyone why he was considered a top-five receiver. Through six games, he has caught 41 passes on 61 targets for 494 yards and two touchdowns. Along with Nabers, Isaiah Likely has been a huge piece of the passing attack. He has quickly established himself as the best Giants free agent signing in years. In six games, he has 39 catches on 60 targets for 383 yards and five touchdowns.

But beyond these two, the Giants have no other offensive skill player they can rely on. The rest of the receiving core has been average at best, and the run game has been a glaring weakness. If the Giants want to run the ball this season, they need a third option they can trust on offense. Whether that’s Malachi Field catching more than two passes a game or one of the three running backs stepping up, they need someone to do it. Otherwise, the defense will scheme to stop Nabers and Likely, and the offense won’t be able to move the ball.

Can the Giants Stop the Texans’ Passing Game?

As surprising as it is to many NFL fans, the Texans have one of the best passing offenses in football this season. They average 270.2 passing yards per game, the fourth-best mark in the NFL. CJ Stroud has returned to his rookie-year form and is no longer the liability he’s been in years past. For receivers, Nico Collins and Jaylin Noel are both putting in strong seasons and will be tough to stop. They also just acquired Marvin Harrison Jr. While Harrison Jr. has struggled in the NFL, he and Stroud did great things at Ohio State.

This will be a real test for the Giants’ pass defense, which has played very well up to this point. They average 190.2 passing yards allowed per game, the 4th-best mark in the NFL. But four of the six teams they played this season rank in the bottom half of the league in passing yards per game. The Giants will also be without cornerback one Greg Newsome and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. This game will show if this passing defense is actually one of the best in the league, or if they were just beating up on inferior competition.