A miserable season for the New York Giants somehow got so much uglier last Sunday.
Not only did the G-Men fall to 0-5 with a 27-22 loss at MetLife Stadium against the previously winless Los Angeles Chargers, but they lost four wide receivers to injury — three of which won’t play again this season. Adding even more insult to injury, an increasingly toxic situation involving starting cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has led to his indefinite suspension.
For once, being a Jets fan doesn’t seem so bad.
Big Blue surely will look to block out the bad entering Sunday night’s visit to Denver for a matchup against the 3-1 Broncos, who are coming off a bye. If that sounds like a tall order, here are three more reasons to justify that perception.
Offensive offense
The Giants haven’t found scoring to be easy, even with a healthy offense on the field. Take away their top four receivers, including Pro Bowl wideout Odell Beckham Jr., and one might wonder how quarterback Eli Manning will ever find the end zone again.
Other starters, such as center Weston Richburg and running back Paul Perkins, were out Sunday and hadn’t been practicing before Friday. That’s a bad sign.
All that, plus an abysmal offensive line, doesn’t seem to be a threat to a Denver defense notorious that’s been among the NFL elite for several years.
McAdoo’s mess
Coach Ben McAdoo appears to be putting on as good a face as can be expected given the Giants’ tumult, but one has to wonder how bad things could get this year.
Players like DRC are walking out on the team midweek and midgame. Big Blue has yet to win with a healthy team and now must manages disastrous injuries. The schedule, which has been pretty brutal to this point, won’t get any easier after this weekend as they host the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, both 3-2, in consecutive weeks with a bye in between.
If the Giants fall to 0-7 with locker room issues seeping into public view, this could get dire for the second-year coach.
Dented defense
With no reason to believe Rodgers-Cromartie will be on the field Sunday — or anytime soon — the Giants’ D already absorbed a small hit. But he may not be the only key player sidelined or limited in Denver.
Safety Landon Collins, the backbone of the unit, has not been practicing after suffering a sprained ankle Sunday. Both defensive end Olivier Vernon, who missed the loss to L.A., and linebacker Jonathan Casillas, who hurt his neck in the game, are question marks entering the weekend.
If one or all of the three miss time, the Broncos could be in for a cakewalk.
Scott’s prediction
Broncos 31, Giants 9
