Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Giants: Complete Week 5 Preview for New York
The tides are turning, as the New York Giants (2-2) look to ride a wave of momentum to their first winning record since the conclusion of the 2012 season.
The Atlanta Falcons (2-2), visitors at MetLife Stadium this weekend, stand in the way.
The Giants offense is starting to come together under first-year offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. A takeaway-driven defense is affording the team with more opportunities to score. While New York is discovering its identity, though, Atlanta remains a mystery.
The Falcons' 37-34 win over the New Orleans Saints in overtime of Week 1 was impressive, as was the 56-14 shellacking they handed out to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3 on Thursday Night Football. They were rendered ineffective by the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2, however, and were then dismantled by the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday in Week 4.
There's no telling which Atlanta team will show up in Week 5, unless traveling has something to do with the Falcons' woes. They are undefeated at home in the Georgia Dome and winless on the road.
The Giants will pull for a raucous crowd and a little home-field advantage.
The Giants-Falcons series dates back to Nov. 20, 1966, when the Falcons, then a first-year expansion team, topped the Giants, 27-16, at Yankee Stadium.
The series has been split down the middle since, with each team claiming 11 of the 22 meetings over the next four decades. The most recent meeting was Week 15 of the 2012 season, when Atlanta demolished a crumbling New York team, 34-0.
Now, it's New York's turn to settle the score.
Read on for the latest news, injury updates, matchups to watch and more.
Week 4 Recap
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The Giants' last game feels like ancient history now, doesn't it? Heck, half the NFC North has played two full games since Big Blue last took the field.
Well, as I dust off the memory banks, I don't recall a single Eli Manning mistake from Week 4. I remember four touchdown passes to his tight ends. It was cake by the time Larry Donnell caught his third. I remember a 72 percent completion rate and exactly 300 passing yards.
I think I even remember Manning running for touchdown, although now, as I type that, it sounds like I may have dreamt it.
Still can't conjure a mistake.
And yet now, as I pull up the box score, I see that he threw an interception. Hmm…?
Oh, right, you mean what would (should?) have been Manning's fifth touchdown pass (sixth touchdown overall), had the ball not been jarred free from Rueben Randle's grasp (after he had both feet down in the end zone) and landed in the arms of Redskins linebacker Keenan Anderson.
OK, so the long week has made my memory kind of hazy. I can assure you, however, Manning had the game of his life. And if you missed it, I can only hope that Ben McAdoo's offense will produce many more to come.
Rashad Jennings took the back seat after carrying the load against the Texans in Week 3. He banged out 55 rushing yards on 13 quick attempts, letting Andre Williams and Peyton Hillis close out the remainder of the contest.
New York finished the game with 154 yards on 38 carries.
The domination was not limited to one side of the ball, though. New York rushed Redskins backup quarterback Kirk Cousins into throwing four intercepted passes. Mathias Kiwanuka didn't let one Cousins attempt get that far, as he ripped it from his hand while sacking Robert Griffin III's replacement.
Aside from one 20-yard sprint for a score, running back Alfred Morris—Washington's most dangerous offensive weapon with RGIII out—was held to just 43 yards on 11 carries.
The Giants collected 31 first downs, converted six of eight red-zone trips, possessed the ball 15 minutes longer than the Redskins and won the game handily, 45-14.
News and Notes
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Rolle's Take on Amukamara's Breakout (NSFW)
Antrel Rolle must think Prince Amukamara and his newly wed wife study route concepts in the bedroom because the defensive captain is attributing the 2011 first-rounder's breakout season to his recent marriage.
It has always been something personal with Amukamara. He's not like most defensive backs in the NFL. He's soft-spoken, smart and humble. He doesn't boast about himself as the league's best shutdown corner, even though it's the trendy thing to do.
In the past, Amukamara's had his "swag" called into question. He has been told that he needs to play with "a little bit more dog" too, according to Jenny Vrentas of The Star-Ledger. For this, in the summer of 2012, he was dumped into a cold tub against his will, a rare act of hazing that targeted a second-year player—not a rookie.
It's not like sex suddenly made him a better player. He has shown this potential for a while. That's why the Giants drafted him 19th overall three-and-a-half years ago, when he was a virgin.
This is about Rolle's reluctant acceptance of Amukamara and his lifestyle, something I find highly immature coming from a team captain.
Having an edge or being thuggish is not a prerequisite for elite coverage skills, and Amukamara is a shining example of just that.
Quick-Draw McManning
He always was a gunslinger, but now Eli Manning has the fastest draw in the East.
Manning is releasing the ball an average of 2.27 seconds after the snap, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. In fact, the only quarterback who's currently outgunning him is his brother out in Denver, Peyton, who's releasing the ball after only 2.12 seconds so far this season.
Both QBs are releasing the ball quicker than Peyton did at his record pace of 2.36 seconds, set last season.
The quicker release has Manning completing more passes and facing less pressure. He has only been sacked six times so far in 2014, a sign that he's making life a lot easier for the blockers who are assigned to protect him.
Manningham Moves On…Now It's Our Turn
Mario Manningham's reunion with Big Blue came to an official conclusion this week, when the Giants released him from injured reserve, making him a free agent again.
His signing in the offseason spurred memories of his Super Bowl catch and even speculation that he'd make the starting lineup. Fans remembered him more for his championship heroics, not his subsequent crashing and burning that took place across the country.
Manningham's knee injury was tragic. As difficult as it must have been to physically prepare for football again, the receiver never appeared to have made a full mental recovery from the injury.
Now, he walks away from the team that made him into a star—again.
It's time to pack up any lingering hope that Manningham may one day regain his Super Bowl form. It was nice to pretend it might for a summer, but the NFL reality check hits harder than any other profession in the fall.
Quote of The Week
Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul talked about his growth as a professional, via Ebenezer Samuel, New York Daily News:
"I told my guys, ‘The dude (Redskins QB Kirk Cousins) is staring at his receivers. Either you’re going to break on the ball or not.’ Sure enough, they did it, he recalled Wednesday. '(A few years ago), I would have been quiet. But if I can see it on film, then I’ll let them know. For a long time, I wasn’t paying attention to stuff like that. As you grow older, you figure s--- out.'
"
Next on JPP's list of s--- to figure out: Don't let certain four-letter words slip into interviews.
Injury Report
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Here's the Giants' injury report, courtesy of NFL.com:
| Player | Injury | Practice | Game |
| P Steve Weatherford | Ankle | Limited | Probable |
| LB Jon Beason | Foot/toe | Limited | Questionable |
| WR Odell Beckham Jr. | Hamstring | Limited | Questionable |
| LB Devon Kennard | Hamstring | Limited | Questionable |
Short list, huh?
The Giants are actually getting healthier as the season progresses—a novel concept in New York. Reserve offensive linemen Charles Brown and James Brewer have finally scratched their names from the report, as has third-year defensive tackle Markus Kuhn.
Weatherford has been playing—and quite well—despite the damaged ligaments in his ankle. He punted the ball like a Pro Bowler through the first quarter of the season.
Beason and Beckham may both make a return in Week 6. Beason's foot and Beckham's hamstring are easily the two most infamous injuries of 2014 in New York.
The Giants may also get Kennard back. The rookie linebacker's availability for the Falcons game is up in the air, as his hamstring injury is fresher than any of the others listed above.
Matchups to Watch and X-Factor
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Will Beatty vs. Osi Umenyiora
It's on Beatty to make sure there's no homecoming party for Umenyiora.
The one-time mentor for Beatty now returns to the Meadowlands, where the majority of Umenyiora's career was celebrated. In a Big Blue uniform, the 2003 second-round selection collected 75 sacks and 32 forced fumbles. He also won two Super Bowls.
Now, Umenyiora is a situational pass-rusher for the Falcons. As a starter last season, he collected 7.5 sacks. So far this year, the sack master has been shut out.
Umenyiora should be particularly motivated by playing his old squad in his former home stadium. Beatty, however, is four years younger than Umenyiora. The Giants left tackle is in his prime (whatever that means in this case), while Umenyiora is clearly past his.
This is a matchup Beatty should win every time.
Giants Pass Rush vs. Falcons Pass-Protection
On the other side of the ball, keep an eye on the Giants pass rush.
The Falcons are getting creative with their personnel along the offensive front, and New York would be wise to take advantage. In fact, I expect every member of the defensive line—except Jason Pierre-Paul, who's going head-to-head with Jake Matthews—to have a field day.
Mathias Kiwanuka should have free rein to rush from his left defensive end position. He should be able to beat whomever Atlanta sticks out there to block him. Last week, it was a tight end.
The Giants hold an overwhelming advantage in this area of the game. They have the potential to make Matt Ryan look like the second coming of Kirk Cousins.
Rodgers-Cromartie/Amukamara vs. White/Jones
This is quite possibly the league's best cornerback tandem going up against the best receiving tandem.
The Roddy White and Julio Jones duo has been feared for a while now, but the Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie combination is just beginning to pick up steam. If the Giants' coverage specialists are able to shut down these two high-profile pass-catchers, it will work wonders for their league-wide credibility.
At this point in their respective careers, Jones is a far more dangerous receiver than White. I think he'll get open a few times and probably catch a touchdown pass, even if the Giants' coverage is next to flawless. White, on the other hand, is a manageable threat.
Amukamara and Rodgers-Cromartie have both been playing so effectively early on this season that it doesn't really matter which cornerback covers which receiver.
Giants X-Factor of the Week: Antrel Rolle
Rolle is considered the heart of the Giants. But why? Because he's an outspoken leader?
No. He's the heart because his takeaways are New York's lifeblood, and each interception pumps new energy through the Giants' collective veins.
Rolle led the team with six interceptions in 2013; he and Amukamara are tied with two through four games so far this season.
Prediction
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Behold, another edition of "Boilard's Bullet-Point Predictions":
- Perfect. The Giants will score a touchdown on all of their trips to the red zone. I'm predicting at least four trips.
- Flagged. The Falcons' biggest gains on offense will come in the form of pass-interference penalties. Both Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will be called for the infraction before the game is through.
- 150. Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams will combine for 150 rushing yards or more. Although Jennings will start, the final totals for touches and yardage will be split rather evenly.
- Three in a row. Eli Manning will make it three games in a row with a completion percentage of 70 or higher.
- Butterfingers. Larry Donnell will cough up his second fumble of the season but will catch another touchdown pass.
- Bringing the rush. Cullen Jenkins will register the game's first sack from his defensive tackle position.
- Electric. A kick or punt will be returned for a touchdown. Not sure who. Not even sure which team. But it's going to happen.
- Not yet. Odell Beckham Jr. will not make his first NFL catch against the Falcons on Sunday.
Don't forget to share your predictions, including final score, in the comment section below.
Prediction: Giants 31, Falcons 13
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