2. It has been a tale of two games for the Giants’ offense so far.
The contrast between the Giants’ two games so far from an offensive perspective is stark, to say the least.
For starters, New York didn’t score a touchdown in Week 1 vs. Washington. The Giants tallied just 231 yards of offense while posting a 4-for-16 mark on third down and averaging only 3.7 yards-per-play. New York also punted on six of its nine possessions, three of which were three-and-outs.
Now, fast-forward to last week against Dallas, where New York recorded 37 points and 506 yards of offense behind the second-best passing day of quarterback Russell Wilson’s career. Wilson threw for 450 yards in that game, completing seven passes of at least 25 yards – the most for any quarterback in a single game since midway through last season.
Those throws were legitimate deep balls, too, as New York racked up a ridiculous 316 yards at the catch point last week. Wilson’s two primary targets were wide receiver Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson, who combined for 17 catches for 309 yards and three touchdowns.
So, it goes without saying that the Chiefs can’t allow Wilson and the Giants’ passing attack to unleash a similar performance on Sunday night, and a major key to ensuring that doesn’t happen will be creating pressure on Wilson. The Cowboys only pressured the Giants’ veteran quarterback 10 times last week, but when they did, the difference in Wilson’s performance was significant:
Kept Clean: 27-of-34 for 398 yards and two touchdowns
Under Pressure: 3-of-7 passing for 52 yards, one touchdown and one interception
It’s also worth mentioning that the Chiefs’ defense was vastly improved last week when compared to Week 1, holding Philadelphia to just 216 yards on the day. It wasn’t enough in the end last week, but a similar performance on Sunday night would go a long way toward the Chiefs’ first victory of the season.