Dissecting Most Crucial Matchups in New York Giants' Week 9 Contest with Colts
If the New York Giants are to win the overall contest with the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night, they'll have to win several specific matchups.
I've dissected five of these matchups in the following slides. Some are individual clashes, while others focus on positional units. Still, others feature full platoons against a single Giant or Colt.
All five of these matchups should be on the Giants game plan as keys to victory.
Unlock the secrets to New York's success in the slides to follow.
Giants Secondary vs. Andrew Luck
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Let's be honest: Andrew Luck is going to get his.
He's the best young quarterback in the league, leading a lethal passing attack out of Indianapolis. Luck is the NFL's top-ranked passer in terms of yardage, with 2,731 through eight games—an insane figure on pace to fall just a few yards shy of Peyton Manning's single-season record set just last season (5,477).
However, that's not to say the Giants secondary can't come away with theirs, too.
Luck has nine interceptions. Only two players have more: Blake Bortles (12) and Geno Smith (10). If the Giants are going to win this game, they'll do so by sabotaging Luck's passing attack at pivotal moments.
It won't be easy; Luck has quite the arsenal of pass-targets. T.Y. Hilton is his deadliest weapon. Primarily a slot receiver, Hilton leads the league with 866 receiving yards. Luck also has a pretty good tight end in Dwayne Allen and a rising star in rookie receiver Donte Moncrief. Oh, and Reggie Wayne may be available for the Giants game, too—he missed the last one with an elbow injury.
Perhaps Luck looks to former Giant Hakeem Nicks more often. Remember what Nicks did to the Giants in the preseason? Imagine the damage he could cause in a game that actually matters, playing all four quarters.
If that doesn't hurt enough, Luck can always sting New York with a dump-off to his running back, Ahmad Bradshaw, another ex-Giant who's since made his home in Indy.
But if there's a defensive backfield that can stump even the illustrious Luck, it's New York's. Only the Bills have recorded more interceptions than the Giants (11). New York needs big performances out of Antrel Rolle and Prince Amukamara; both players must get their hands on a ball for the Giants to win.
Giants Pass-Rush vs. Colts Pass-Protection
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For the secondary to make the plays mentioned on the previous slide, the Giants must pressure Andrew Luck into making quick decisions.
If New York affords Luck plenty of time in the pocket, these two teams might as well not play the game—Luck will pick the Giants apart. The key to victory is to disrupt his timing in the pocket with a mixture of unique pressure packages and exceptional individual efforts.
The Giants are not the most ferocious team up front this season. The defense as a whole has collected only 13.0 sacks, which is tied with New Orleans' abysmal unit for 21st in the league. Jason Pierre-Paul leads the team with only 3.5 sacks; his starting counterpart, Mathias Kiwanuka, has just 1.5.
Meanwhile, the Colts are just as stingy protectors as the Giants are inept rushers. They've allowed only 13.0 sacks all season—a figure that ranks Indianapolis among the NFL's top 10 teams in that category. The Colts have weathered injuries to their offensive line to field a rather cohesive unit. This is a testament to Luck's quarterbacking, as well as a working scheme.
It also helps to have Ahmad Bradshaw as a personal protector. For years, he and Brandon Jacobs kept Eli Manning upright behind a sometimes-porous O-line. One thing is for sure: This is a tough, multi-layered unit to penetrate. A mighty opponent for New York's measly rush.
But the Giants can win this matchup, and they will if they unleash Damontre Moore. It's time to get this pass-rushing stud more reps; the Colts game is a perfect place to start. The Colts aren't rampant runners, so New York can finally pin Moore's ears back and let him do what he does best: go get the quarterback.
Moore's efforts alone won't be enough to ruin Luck's outing. Perry Fewell must mix up his defensive looks and send extra rushers from time to time. Quintin Demps and Jameel McClain have been good blitzers for the Giants so far this year; Fewell should commission them both to rush the passer.
Andre Williams vs. Colts Front Seven
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Let's face it: Andre Williams has not been a good starter.
He's a tough runner, and, with time, he could become a dynamic starting back for the Giants somewhere down the road. However, New York needs him to step up now.
Since the Giants lost starting running back Rashad Jennings, the offense has gone into a complete tailspin. The unit has lost a couple dimensions, and Williams' unfruitful running has oft put New York in unfavorable down and distance.
The Giants are averaging 100 fewer yards of total offense per game since Williams took over, compared to the offensive output during New York's three-game winning streak.
With Jennings' return unlikely against the Colts, the Giants again turn to the rookie to carry the offense. Against Indianapolis, Williams will face a defense that has allowed a healthy 4.4 yards per carry this season.
Luckily for Williams, the Colts' best defensive playmakers are found on the outsides of the defensive line; he should be able to reach the second level. Williams still may want to avoid nose tackle Arthur Jones, even though the 337-pounder has struggled to stay on the field this season (interesting fact: the Colts are 0-3 in games in which Jones plays).
The one player who can totally foil the Giants' plans to run the ball is Indy's D'Qwell Jackson. The former Cleveland Brown has become the Colts' most reliable inside linebacker. Jackson leads his team by a mile with 65 tackles this season.
For the Giants to be successful on the ground, the offensive line must open gaping holes for Williams (the rookies' vision is not yet the best). That means New York must dominate the point of attack and get better run blocking out of its tight ends, especially if fullback Henry Hynoski is to rot on the sideline.
Williams can do his part by punishing any unlucky Colt lining him up for a tackle.
Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Vontae Davis
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Odell Beckham Jr. will draw the coverage of Indianapolis' No. 1 cornerback, Vontae Davis—if not right away, then shortly after Beckham makes his first explosive play of the game.
It will be a big step up for the rookie, who has mostly flown under the radar after an injury-plagued summer. The Colts have probably seen just enough of Beckham to know he's dangerous, but not enough to center their defensive game plan around him.
Eli Manning should target Beckham often in the first quarter. If successful, this will forge a valuable rhythm for later in the game. This game may go down to the wire, and Manning will want to be on the same page with his most dynamic receiving threat during the two-minute drill.
The increased targets will afford Beckham more reps than usual. Although no single catch has lacked spectacle, OBJ has not caught more than four passes in a given game. Against the Colts, he must approach his first 10-catch game.
But Davis won't allow those receptions without a fight. He leads the team with 12 passes defended, two of which he intercepted. A recent film review by Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated found Davis to be the “point man” of Indianapolis' defense.
With Beckham, it is his route running and catching ability that make him so dangerous. He is physically gifted enough to find consistent space and make the catch against Davis, but will the rookie be ready to become the focal point of New York's passing attack under the bright lights of Monday Night Football?
The stage is set for OBJ to become a national sensation.
Tom Coughlin vs. Chuck Pagano
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OK, I'm cheating a bit. As much as I'd love to see these two suit up and smash shoulders at midfield, a gridiron will stand between them when these two go head-to-head on Monday night.
However, that's not to say the matchup between head coaches Tom Coughlin and Chuck Pagano won't be one to keep an eye on.
Coughlin represents the old guard. He has been a head coach in the NFL for nearly two decades. People forget: Before he was ever a Super Bowl-winner in New York, he was a franchise-builder in Jacksonville. This man has seen his fair share of pro football in his day.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Pagano, who joined the Colts in 2012 as a rookie head coach (although he'd been an assistant/positional coach/coordinator with the Ravens, Raiders and Browns since the early 2000s). There, in Indianapolis, Pagano paired with rookie quarterback Andrew Luck, much like a certain coach-QB combination created eight years earlier.
Might Pagano and Luck one day share the championship-winning bond Coughlin and Eli Manning currently enjoy? It sure seems that way.
Coughlin can notch a big win for the establishment-type by knocking the surging, young Pagano (54 years old) down a peg. If he does, it'll be the Giants' first win over the Colts since December 22, 2002.
Whaddaya say, Tom? Give it the old college try!
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