(The piece below is Alex Schiappacasse's first contribution to the UltimateNYG site. He will be contributing to our site throughout the year and is a great addition to the team.)
-Alex Schiappacasse
NYG Wide Receivers vs KC Secondary
One of the bright spots coming into this season for the Giants were their play makers at wide receiver. That was put on display on the teams first game of the season against Dallas, which seems like a lifetime ago, when Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, and Rueben Randle each had over 100 yards receiving. Since then, in two games the trio have not come close to reaching the success that was had on opening night as the offense has sputtered out of control perhaps for reasons out of the talented trio's control.
According to PFF.com the Chiefs secondary have been prone to give up some long plays. They have allowed passes of 40, 38,31 yards. The Giants receivers would want to look to stretch the field and try and hit on some big plays against the Chiefs press defense.
NYG Defensive Ends vs KC Offensive Line
According to PFF.com the Giants have only one sack and have hit the quarterback only three times in the past two weeks which is giving quarterbacks all day to throw. No quarterback likes throw under duress and that is what the Giants defensive ends have to create in order to make Alex Smith’s short passes harder to come by. Even in the absence of a pass rush, the Giants have shown the ability in the past to disrupt/bother Alex Smith by getting their arms up and effecting his vision and ability to throw the ball short on timing routes. Continuing this trend will be crucial for the Giants.
Chiefs RT Eric Fisher was given a -3.5 pass block grade so far this season, which makes him a perfect target for JPP to turn his season around and take the next step in his recovery from injury.
Perhaps this is also the week we see rookie DE phenom Damontre "DaMonster" Moore get some meaningful snaps at the position. If he is near full strength, there is no reason Moore should not be given an opportunity. The unit is struggling right now and perhaps the fresh legs and energy of the rookie can give them the jolt they need to get back on track.
According to PFF.com, in the Chiefs last game Smith was under pressure 15 times throwing nine passes and completing only three of them earning him a -2.2 grade.
Giants' Linebackers vs Alex Smith
Alex Smith is a serviceable quarterback who is perfect at managing football games simply because he does not turn the ball over. He doesn't turn the ball over is because he refuses to throw down the field. According to PFF.com, Smith throws for 10 yards or less at a staggering 82.9 percent of the time which is the highest in the league. In his last game versus the Eagles, Smith attempted a pass 20 yards or longer only once. 25 of his 32 pass attempts were in the 0-9 yard range, according to PFF.com.
So what does this mean for the Giants defense? Being that Smith does not like to throw the ball down the field, the Giants linebacker core has to step up and guard against Smith throwing short passes. It would be nice to see them play with this knowledge and perhaps “cheat” a bit on their zone drops or when covering in man. They should be mindful that there is a good chance the ball is coming their way. They also have to be good tacklers so as to prevent a 4-6 yard gain from turning into a 20+ yard explosive play. Keep in mind though, to put it simply, that this Giants defensive core has absolutely had its way with Smith in the past so this should give Giants' fans some hope for Sunday's clash.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
