6 Questions Facing the Giants Ahead of the Rams

The Giants have people buzzing, but Ricard is right: the tables can turn quickly if the players and coaches rest on their laurels.

But it’s safe to say that Harbaugh isn’t going to let that happen on his watch and that he probably isn’t going to need to remind the Giants that while their Week 1 win over the Cowboys may have felt like it was played in a playoff atmosphere, there is still a long road ahead.

Here’s a look at some other storylines for the week ahead.

Will Aaron Donald Make His Triumphant Return?

Rams star defensive lineman Aaron Donald returned from a two-year retirement to play alongside edge defender Myles Garrett as the Rams gear up for a Super Bowl run.

Unfortunately for the Rams, Garrett needed knee surgery, which will keep him out at least four weeks, starting this week. But Donald, who is still working his way into football shape, could be ready to step into the lineup this coming week against the Giants, according to a report by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.

Even if Donald is ready to play, it might be unrealistic to expect him to go the distance given his time away from the game and the fact that this would be his first extensive action in over two years. Still, if the Rams can get any quality snaps from Donald, assuming he plays, it could make for an interesting plot twist on Monday night.

Are the Rams Finally Over Their Jet Lag?

Rams head coach Sean McVay felt it was in the team's best interest to make a 17+ hour flight to Australia a couple of days before a grueling game, and by now the world knows how well that worked out.

The question worth asking is whether the Rams, who then had to fly home after that game, have fully recovered from any jet lag.  

According to the Rams’ media schedule over the last several days, they had Friday through Sunday off. And it looks like they had light workouts Tuesday and Wednesday, with their first “true” day of preparation set for Thursday.

That should be more than enough for them to recover, though one never knows.

Will There Be More in-game Work for Malik Nabers?

Receiver Malik Nabers was on Cloud 9 after the Giants beat the Cowboys Sunday night, and not just because of the victory. That game marked his first time back since tearing his ACL in Week 4 last year.

In his first game back, Nabers was clearly on a snap count. He took part in 36 game snaps (52%) and ran 24 routes total. Of those, he was targeted nine times, catching six balls for 69 yards, an average of 11.5 yards per catch.

For reference, before his injury, Nabers saw action in 78%+ of the team’s offensive snaps.

Assuming Nabers came through the Week 1 game with no issues, it’s reasonable to assume that he’ll see a bigger workload this week, especially with the extra day in between games.

Has Tyrone Tracy, Jr. Lost Ground?

Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. fumbled again, and while it didn’t hurt the result, it’s still something that can’t be happening.

To no surprise, Harbaugh pulled Tracy after that, and he saw him only on special teams.

This week, Tracy’s status on the unofficial depth chart remains unchanged, but that chart isn’t necessarily how the coaches view things. And with Najee Harris continuing to ramp up—he was inactive last week—could there be a change coming where Harris gets a suit, and Tracy does not?

Any New Injury Concerns?

When the media last spoke to head coach John Harbaugh on Monday, there were no new injuries to speak of coming out of Week 1.

Not that Harbaugh probably would have said as much anyway. Still, sometimes players pop up on the injury report at random—case in point, fullback Patrick Ricard showed up late last week with a toe issue, though fortunately it didn’t stop him from playing.  

The two teams don’t have to file an injury report until Thursday. And Wednesday’s practice was more of a walkthrough affair. Still, worth watching here are the statuses of cornerback Deonte Banks, who was said to have experienced cramping in Sunday’s game.

Will the Cornerbacks Be Better?

On paper, the stats suggest the Giants cornerbacks (Deonte Banks and Greg Newsome II) were solid. But peel back the layers, and both had a few rough spots in run defense and coverage.

George Pickens, whom Newsome covered, dropped two balls,  which helped swing the numbers in Newsome's favor. And for what it’s worth, the depth behind Newsome and Banks, both of whom had to leave the game for various injury checks, wasn’t anything to write home about, either.

Colton Hood, a rookie, had his hiccups. Paulson Adebo, who is not a rookie, did as well.

Again, the cornerbacks didn’t cost the Giants much, but it’s fair to say they need to tighten things up as a group moving forward.