Houston Texans vs. New York Giants: Complete Week 3 Preview for New York

Starting the season with three consecutive losses would be all too reminiscent of the New York Giants' 2013 misfortunes, but the undefeated Houston Texans (2-0) stand in the way of the Giants' first win of the season.

For the second consecutive week, the Giants will play at home, this time hosting a Texans team that boasts an intimidating defense. Houston has already preyed upon two weaker teams in Washington and Oakland; the Texans will try to make New York their next victim in Week 3.

Unlike New York's two previous opponents, the Lions and Cardinals, the Giants have only a brief series history with the Texans, who were created as an expansion team when the divisions were realigned in 2002. The two franchises have only met three times since then; Houston won the first meeting, but New York has claimed the last two contests.

It's an important game for the Giants—one they're already calling a "must win," according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.

While there's no shortage of desperation in New York, there is a shortage of talent. The Giants are already battling the injury bug early this season, and it remains undetermined whether the reserves selected to replace the injured starters are talented enough to capture a win.

Read on for the latest news, injury updates, matchups to watch and more.

Week 2 Recap

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There was a glimmer of hope in last weekend's loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

After falling behind by 10 points in the first quarter, the Giants tightened up. They narrowed the Cardinals' lead to three points with a seven-yard touchdown strike from Eli Manning to Rueben Randle in the second quarter. Then, with two minutes to play in the third, Manning found his tight end, Daniel Fells, for a one-yard score to move ahead of Arizona heading into the final frame.

At that point everything looked great. Sure, Manning had thrown an awful-looking interception under duress and the early deficit was certainly disheartening, but things were slowly coming together. Manning was completing a lot of his passes, the offense was moving and, on the defensive side of the ball, the pass-rushers were hassling Cardinals quarterback Carson Pal—

Oh, yeah, that's right...Drew Stanton was filling in for Palmer. Yes, the same Drew Stanton that hadn't attempted a regular-season pass since 2010, when he was a Detroit Lion. Stanton didn't even know he'd be playing until just before game time.

It's not like Stanton torched the Giants secondary a la Detroit's Mathew Stafford. Arizona's backup completed less than half his passes for only 167 yards. He didn't throw a touchdown pass; however, New York could not intercept him. Although the D-line sacked him four times, Stanton did not fumble either.

The Giants made nothing of the Cardinals' sudden disadvantage, forcing a grand total of zero turnovers.

Conversely, New York gave away possession four times, allowing Arizona to field-goal the G-Men to death. Three of rookie placekicker Chandler Catanzaro's four field goals came during the Cardinals' 15-point, fourth-quarter sprint to win the game.

As painful as late fumbles by running back Rashad Jennings and kick returner Quintin Demps were, the real back-breaking play was Ted Ginn's 71-yard punt return, which gave Arizona the lead again with 10 minutes left to play.

Although there was still plenty of time to mount a comeback, the Giants were beginning to show their true colors on that play. They used the waning minutes of the contest to tie the ribbon on the Cardinals' gift-wrapped win into a beautiful Big Blue bow.

News and Notes

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Rolle Calls Players-Only Meeting

Remember how terrible the slide became at the beginning of last season? Starting safety and team captain Antrel Rolle does, too, and he's clearly trying to stop the bleeding before it gets out of control by calling a players-only meeting after just two games.

Rolle seems to be a believer in mental preparation and the power of visualization, based on his quote in the New York Post:

“You’ve got to go out there expecting to dominate. The mind is a powerful thing. Mind controls all.’’

The 2013 second-team All-Pro also harped on playing the game faster. Through two games, the Giants have been more cautious than confident, according to Rolle; to me, it sounds as if many players are afraid to make mistakes, and playing with trepidation is no way to win a football game.

Calling a players-only meeting is almost never a good sign, as if the 0-2 record wasn't enough of a bad omen. However, if the Giants do turn things around, I bet Rolle's meeting is credited as the season's early pivot point.

JPP Could Play Goal-Line Tight End

Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo wants everyone to know he can be creative, too.

Last weekend, Texans defensive end J.J. Watt made the league-wide highlight reel, but it wasn't for a blown-up play in the backfield, like usual. Instead, it was a catch he made with the goal-line offense, resulting in a one-yard score and a 7-0 lead over the Oakland Raiders in the first quarter.

McAdoo says there's a possibility New York may have a similar play in its arsenal involving its own makeshift tight end, Jason Pierre-Paul. To the former Green Bay quarterbacks coach, the desire to utilize an uber-athletic defender in such a situation it obvious, per Tom Rock of Newsday:

"I've done it in my past, on the goal line," McAdoo said. "We've done some things with B.J. Raji and Mike Daniels in Green Bay. You're always tempted. Look at those guys. Of course you want to use them."

While it may be obvious to him, it's certainly not obvious to fans and probably not obvious to the Giants' opponents. JPP may be a great athlete, but with this hand-tipping quote, McAdoo surrendered the element of surprise.

Drops Are Nothing New for Manning

Many of Eli Manning's passes have been dropped by his receivers so far this season—nearly 10 percent of them, in fact. Thanks to a chart put together by Michael Salfino of The Wall Street Journal, we now know this is a problem that has persisted, to some degree, since 2007.

Here's a recreation of Salfino's chart:

Year	Attempts	Drops	Drop%	Rank
2014	72	7	9.7%	2
2013	554	30	5.4%	18
2012	526	32	6.0%	17
2011	589	38	6.5%	12
2010	539	42	7.8%	3
2009	509	33	6.5%	5
2008	479	39	8.1%	3
2007	529	42	8.1%	1

Although his receivers hands' have steadily improved over the past few years, Manning is used to targets who habitually rank in the league's top five teams for drop percentage.

Victor Cruz has been the primary offender this season. His drops in 2014 have been under the microscope, because a) they've come at crucial moments in games, and b) Cruz drew attention to himself by begging for more targets after Week 1, per Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News (h/t ProFootballTalk).

This week, Cruz seems to have refocused.

Quote of the Week

Special teams coordinator Tom Quinn on Quintin Demps' decision to bring five kicks out of the end zone against the Cardinals in Week 2, per Dan Salomone of Giants.com:

 “[The kickoff returners] have clocks in their head. If it is hanging up there, hanging up there, hanging up there and deep. A couple of those didn’t have great hang, so he was aggressive to bring it out.”

Injury Report

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Here's the Giants' injury report for Week 3, according to NFL.com:

Player	Injury	Practice Status	Game Status
LB  Jon Beason	Foot/Toe	DNP	OUT
WR Odell Beckham Jr.	Hamstring	DNP	OUT
LB Devon Kennard	Hamstring	DNP	OUT
DT Markus Kuhn	Ankle	Full	Probable
T James Brewer	Back	Limited	Questionable
T Charles Brown	Back	Limited	Questionable
P Steve Weatherford	Ankle	Limited	Questionable

*Jerrel Jernigan (foot) and Walter Thurmond III (pec) moved to injured reserve.

The only semi-new addition to the injury report is Jon Beason, who reaggravated the foot he fractured during the spring in Week 2. Jameel McClain will play in his place, which is nothing new. McClain saw extensive time at middle linebacker over the summer. He is a veteran and should be familiar with the signal-calling from that position by now.

While the injury report looks pretty much the same, there are two new members on injured reserve. The Giants will experiment a bit as they test out some replacements for receiver Jerrel Jernigan and slot cornerback Walter Thurmond III.

Preston Parker is the logical substitute for Jernigan with rookie Odell Beckham Jr. still sidelined by a hamstring injury. Although Parker ripped off a big 29-yard catch-and-run last week against the Cardinals, I'd rather see preseason superstar Corey Washington get in the action here. Based on the comments I read after writing these articles, I'm willing to bet the majority of the Giants fanbase sides with me on that notion.

The Giants lost a good slot guy in Thurmond, but veteran Trumaine McBride can step into that role. Although Mcbride is a smaller corner (5'9", 189 pounds), most of his experience is on the outside. That's where he filled in—rather admirably, I might add—as a starter for the Giants during the 2013 season.

It will be interesting to see if the Giants utilize a third safety or their base 4-3 more often, as opposed to a nickel corner, in light of the Thurmond injury.

Matchups and X-Factor to Watch

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Justin Pugh vs. J.J. Watt

Pugh is in his second season as the Giants' starting right tackle, and the toughest test of his young career awaits him in Week 3. Texans defensive end J.J. Watt will visit MetLife Stadium on Sunday, and Pugh may be the only man standing in the way of Watt's path to Eli Manning on some plays.

If this becomes a true one-on-one matchup, it'll be a matchup thoroughly dominated by Watt. He is one of the league's most dominant pass-rushers yet is just as disruptive behind the line of scrimmage defending the run. Watt is a refined athlete who can get past a blocker with a nimble move or with his brute strength. Now in his fourth NFL season, Watt has 37.5 career sacks to go along with 184 tackles.

As impressive as Pugh has been, claiming a starting role as a rookie and holding onto it in year two, the Giants must send assistance Pugh's way. Whether it's a true double-team or just a chip-block from a releasing tight end/running back, this is a matchup New York must micromanage throughout the contest. Otherwise, Watt will make enough plays to win the game for the Texans.

Larry Donnell vs. D.J. Swearinger

The matchup between Donnell and Swearinger is a wildly underrated one. It features an upstart tight end on one side and a vicious safety on the other.

Donnell has been the only pass-catcher to flourish in the Giants' feeble air assault through two weeks. Quickly becoming one of Manning's favorite targets, Donnell has caught 12 passes for 137 yards so far this season. He caught a contested touchdown pass in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions.

Covering Donnell this week will be Houston's Swearinger. Donnell and Swearinger both make their money over the middle. While Donnell searches for an open seam to exploit on Sunday, Swearinger will be nearby, lurking, looking to make a big hit.

The Giants need Donnell to be fearless in Week 3 as he contends with with one of the NFL's hardest-hitting young safeties in Swearinger.

Jameel McClain vs. Arian Foster

With Jon Beason out of the lineup, McClain will man the middle of the Giants' starting linebacker unit, like he did throughout the summer when Beason was on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. His main assignment in Week 3 should be to lock down Foster, the Texans' star running back.

Though Foster can rack up yardage and eat carries like few other backs in the league, this is a matchup McClain can win. McClain is a downhill, attacking linebacker, and Foster is an upright strider. There isn't a ton of shake in the Houston running back's step, so, if the Giants are able to keep blockers off McClain, the former Baltimore Raven should be able to draw a bead on Foster with consistency.

Where this matchup gets hairy is in the passing game. If the Texans force McClain to chase Foster in coverage, the Giants could be in trouble. As a true ball-carrier, however, Foster is a manageable threat.

Giants' X-Factor of the Week: Robert Ayers

The surprise of the early season has been defensive end Robert Ayers' production off the bench.

Through two games, he leads the team with two sacks. Both came in relief of starter Mathias Kiwanuka on the right side. Perhaps his early success earns him an expanded role in Week 3, affording him a few additional reps to rush Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Prediction

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Here's my seven-point list of predictions:

• Not Again. Tight end Larry Donnell won't lead the team in receiving (catches or yards) for the first time this season.
• Rashad's Redemption. Running back Rashad Jennings, motivated by his fourth-quarter fumble in Week 2, will rip off two long runs of 20 yards or more. One will be for a score.
• Tackling Machine. Linebacker Jameel McClain will lead the team with 10 or more tackles. Not one, however, will be for a loss of yards.
• Red Flag. Head coach Tom Coughlin will win his first challenge of the season. I'm betting it's an incorrectly called catch along the sideline.
• Danger: High Wattage. Texans defensive end J.J. Watt will record more than one sack on quarterback Eli Manning. One sack may force a fumble.
• Comeback. The Giants will win the game on a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Manning to wide receiver Preston Parker, who will otherwise be quiet in his first game filling in for Jerrel Jernigan.

Be sure to include your predictions, including final score, in the comment section below.

My guess: Giants 21, Texans 20

Kevin Boilard writes about the New York Giants at Bleacher Report.