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Game Preview: Houston Texans at New York Giants

By Ryan Disdier

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On Sunday, September 21st, the winless New York Giants will host the undefeated Houston Texans in a week 3 matchup.

Last Time These Teams Met: The last regular season game between these two teams came back in 2010 when the Giants beat the Texans 34-10.

Houston is coming into Sunday’s matchup with a litany of momentum, while the Giants are completely devoid of it.

The Houston Texans have been a huge surprise, as they were considered to be one of the worst teams in the league entering 2014. With enormous question marks surrounding the quarterback position, few believed they would be contending in the AFC South. However, after two weeks, the Texans are the only undefeated team in their division. Tremendous defensive play and a not so worthless Ryan Fitzpatrick have been one of the main catalyst for Houston’s hot start. As many believed might happen, Fitzpatrick is quietly having his finest season as a pro. Houston’s starting signal caller has three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 118.4 quarterback rating, according to NFL.com.

“I’m glad that we’re 2-0. I think we expected to be 2-0.” Fitzpatrick said to Houstontexans.com. “I think that’s important, but we’ve got to continue to work and I think that’s the mindset we’re taking right now. 2-0 can mean a lot of different things. A lot of things can happen from here on out in the season, so we’re taking it a week at a time, but continuing to try and get better each week.” 

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The Amish Rifle will go up against a good, but rather overrated secondary on Sunday. Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins are two receivers that cause a lot of issues for defenses, and the Giants’ secondary play will be critical in deciding the outcome of the game. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has not even come close to living up to the hype surrounding him, and he faces a great receiver for the third straight week. Fitzpatrick has had great ball security, and he’s proved he can help lead a team into contention.

Arian Foster remains in the backfield for Houston, and the Giants defense has been subject against the run thus far. Foster has had back-to-back 100 yard games, and he’s dangerous in the passing game as well. Foster, however, considered by NFL.com’s Kevin Patra as a ‘long shot’ to play. If Foster cannot play, Alfred Blue will take his place in the backfield. Jonathan Grimes and Ronnie Brown will also see playing time in Foster’s absence.

For the Giants, things have only gotten worse since week 1. Not only have they lost two straight games, but some of their key players have gotten hurt as well. According to NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling, both cornerback Walter Thurmond III and wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan were both placed on injured reserve last week, and starting inside linebacker Jon Beason reportedly could be out for, “a while.” Beason was officially ruled out for Sunday’s game earlier this week by the Giants. The Giants will also be missing Odell Beckham Jr., as well as Devon Kennard.

Not having Beckham and Kennard was expected, and not having Jernigan and Thurmond is unfortunate, but it’s not going to serious hinder the Giants. The loss of Beason, though, is enormous.

Beason is the vocal leader of the unit, and he was the main reason for the defensive turnaround last year. Although Beason is not the best linebacker in coverage, his stout play against the run will be missed.

The rest of the defense has been disappointing, but the play of Jason Pierre-Paul has been a very pleasant surprise for Big Blue. Pierre-Paul is a half a sack away from tying his total from last year, and he’s also not too concerned with stopping Houston’s offense. “Uh, nothing,” Pierre-Paul said, via NJ.com after being asked what worries him the most about the Texans’ offense. “Yeah, I think we should be able to handle that offense. Nothing concerns me.” Pierre-Paul has been playing great thus far, but he’s playing against a tough offensive line on Sunday. Early success by JPP and the rest of the defensive line is instrumental in the Giants’ success. Antrel Rolle has been incredibly vocal, and he remains adamant in his belief that the Giants’ season is far from over.

On the other side of the ball, things are a lot more complicated for New York.

“We definitely, obviously want to win this game, it’s a big game for us to win. We’re going to go out there and approach it like any other game, put in the same amount of work. Must-win, I wouldn’t say it’s a must-win.

The Giants’ offense has been the topic of infamy in New York, and for good reason. Although Eli Manning looked immensely better against the Cardinals, the unit remains subject. They’re reminiscent of a poorly coached team, which is perplexing since Tom Coughlin is the head coach in New York. The offense for Gotham has been less Christian Bale and more Adam West, and little mistakes have been the bane of the Giants’ season so far. Rashad Jennings has been unimpressive, and his fumble last week in the fourth quarter shut the door on a Giants comeback. Andre Williams has seen all of his playing time as a backup, but much like Jennings, Williams hasn’t done much.

Furthermore, Eli Manning has had no help from his receivers, as Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle have failed to do much. Despite calling for the ball, Cruz has dropped a plethora of rather routine catches, and Randle still hasn’t become the player the Giants envisioned. The Giants’ receiving core has lost a lot of depth, and Preston Parker is currently the third option. Behind Parker is Julian Talley and preseason sensation Corey Washington. The lone bright spot from the passing game has been tight end Larry Donnell. Prior to 2014, Donnell had not achieved a modicum of success in his career, but he currently has 12 receptions for 123 yards.

The offensive unit is simply not executing the way it’s capable of. Despite that, so far the offense has improved every week, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility to see the offense perform well on Sunday. Manning looks like he’s finally getting comfortable in the new offensive scheme. While Eli hasn’t exactly been dynamite, he did complete 66.7% of his passes and post an 83.0 quarterback rating last week against the Cardinals, according to NFL.com.

The offense will have a dubious task on Sunday, as they need to play against the NFL’s finest defensive lineman J.J. Watt. Watt, who is currently the highest paid defensive player in the league, has showcased his versatility as he caught a touchdown last week in Oakland. I listed the former Wisconsin Badger as a incredibly strong candidate to break the single season sack record, and it’s almost impossible to contain him.

Watt will be lining up against Justin Pugh, who is a very solid right tackle. With that being said, Pugh will likely struggle against the ferocious J.J. Watt. Houston also boasts a second great pass rusher named Brooks Reed.

However, the Texans certainly have talent outside of the pass rushing duo. While they’ll be without first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney, Brian Cushing is healthy, and Johnathan Joseph is one of the most underrated cornerbacks in the entire league. Cushing will be returning to his home state on Sunday, and he’s set to play in front of his friends and family. The Park Ridge, NJ native will be playing mental chess all afternoon with Eli Manning. Safety D.J. Swearinger is an incredibly heavy hitter, but sometimes his trash talking can be detrimental.

The Giants understand the severity of their week 3 game against the Texans, despite some of the team not considering Sunday’s game a ‘must win.’ “Must-win? I think that’s pretty dire,” tackle Justin Pugh said to Giants.com. “We definitely, obviously want to win this game, it’s a big game for us to win. We’re going to go out there and approach it like any other game, put in the same amount of work. Must-win, I wouldn’t say it’s a must-win. But, obviously, we want to win it, so maybe you can find a different word.”

Although the Giants might not want to admit Sunday’s matchup is a must win, history has not been kind to teams that start the season 0-3. According to ESPN.com, only three teams have made the playoffs after starting 0-3 since 1990. 

If the Giants can’t find a way to beat Houston, I don’t think there’s a chance they can find a way to win the NFC East. It’s hard to imagine a Tom Coughlin coached team falling to 0-3 for a consecutive year, but crazier things have definitely happened in the NFL. I think this is a winnable game for the Giants, however, they’re fresh off of a loss that was also a very winnable game.

Players to Watch:

Preston Parker:

The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer will be taking the place of Jerrel Jernigan for the time being. Parker had a very good preseason, but it remains to be seen whether or not he can produce for the Giants in a real game scenario. If Cruz and Randle aren’t open, Manning will target Parker more often than not.

J.J. Watt:

Justin James Watt is a beast. After his touchdown reception last week, the Texans have said they will be using him as a tight end in their goal line package, per head coach Bill O’Brien. Be sure to keep an eye on Watt on both defense and offense.

Jason Pierre-Paul:

JPP has looked like his old self so far this year. He’s been putting consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and he already has 1.5 sacks. A good outing by Pierre-Paul would be invaluable to the Giants.

Andre Johnson:

Johnson has not had a 100 yard game thus far, but he’s a player that always commands attention from defenses. He will be matched up against Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and if the first two weeks were indicative of DRC’s 2014, Johnson should have success.

Final Prediction:

Giants win 24-16. I think this will be the week the Giants finally get it together. They’ve improved on offense from the debacle in week 1, and with Foster’s status in question, I think the Giants will be able to capitalize. However, I would not be surprised to see the Giants’ offense falter and cause the team to lose another winnable game. Victor Cruz will likely amend his previous outings and have a good game. With a win, the Giants will try to contend in an unpredictable NFC East, although they still face an uphill battle. For the Texans, 2-1 is still better than what people expected, and they’ll still have a two game lead over the dangerous Indianapolis Colts.

Bold Prediction:

Eli Manning will throw for 300 yards, three touchdowns and one interception against the Texan’s 24th ranked pass defense.

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