Giants at Chargers: Preview and Prediction

When the New York Giants take on the Los Angeles Chargers this Sunday, Giants fans will be contemplating what could’ve been. Firstly, this game could’ve actually meant something beyond jockeying for draft position, had Big Blue just won a couple games earlier this season they probably should have. New York is one Dexter Lawrence offsides against the Washingon Football Team and one Adoree’ Jackson dropped interception against the Atlanta Falcons from being 6-6 and right in the thick of the NFC playoff race.

Secondly, this game will serve as a reminder of who the Giants’ starting quarterback could’ve been. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was expected to declare for the 2019 NFL Draft following his junior college season. Coming out of Oregon, Herbert was a top-tier passing prospect, and someone that many had connected to the Giants as a possible NFL destination. New York’s general manager Dave Gettleman scouted Herbert in person, and was thought to be high on the Academic All-American.

Surprisingly, Herbert decided to return to Oregon for his senior season, and the Giants instead selected Duke quarterback Daniel Jones, not considered an elite prospect by most, sixth-overall in 2019. Los Angeles drafted Herbert sixth-overall the following year. While Jones has had an inconsistent and frustrating first two and a half seasons, Herbert has quickly established himself as one of the NFL’s brightest young stars.

This game won’t even be a battle between the two young signal callers, as Jones will miss his second consecutive game with a neck strain. Instead, the Giants will start either journeyman Mike Glennon, who suffered a concussion last Sunday against the Miami Dolphins and has yet to clear concussion protocol, or Jake Fromm, who came over from the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad just last week. Neither player is inspiring or likely to lead New York’s offense out of their current funk. Head coach Joe Judge is optimistic Glennon will be cleared in time to start on Sunday, but Fromm is the more intriguing option given his youth and strong college career at Georgia.

Rather than what could’ve been, Giants fans must confront the harsh reality of what is. At 4-8, Big Blue is staring down the barrel of another lost season. With Jones out, any hope for a late run at the playoffs is beyond a pipe dream, and all that’s left to determine is whether Judge can win enough games to keep his job for next year. Gettleman is already on the way out as he reportedly plans on retiring (forcibly or not) after the season, and any evaluation of Jones has to be halted while he sits out with injury.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s game, followed by a prediction for the final score.

Where and When

SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. EST / 1:05 p.m. PST

Injuries

New York: QB Mike Glennon (Questionable), WR Kadarius Toney (Questionable), WR Sterling Shepard (Questionable), WR Kenny Golladay (Questionable), RB Saquon Barkley (Questionable), CB Adoree’ Jackson (Questionable), QB Daniel Jones (Doubtful)

Los Angeles: RB Austin Ekeler (Questionable), LB Kyler Fackrell (Questionable), DT Linval Joseph (Questionable), CB Asante Samuel Jr. (Questionable), S Alohi Gilman (Questionable), DT Justin Jones (Questionable)

Most Concerning Matchup: OT Rashawn Slater vs. OLB Azeez Ojulari

If Herbert is the one that got away, Slater may be the one the Giants never should have passed on. New York entered last year’s draft with a clear and obvious need at offensive line. Many fans were hoping that Slater, considered an elite tackle prospect by many, would fall to Big Blue at the eleventh overall pick. As it turned out, the Northwestern prospect was indeed available to New York when their pick came around. Instead of simply taking Slater, the Giants opted to trade down with the Chicago Bears in exchange for a package that included Chicago’s 2021 first-round pick. The Giants would then select the receiver Toney with the 20th pick.

The trade garnered positive reviews at the time, and may very well be the right move in the long run. But the immediate results have not gone the Giants’ way. Toney, while clearly talented and productive in spurts, has had a tumultuous and injury-marred rookie season. Slater, on the other hand, has been excellent, playing at an elite level rarely if ever seen from first-year tackles.

On Sunday, Slater will be blocking his fellow rookie Ojulari. Ojulari leads Big Blue with six and a half sacks. He’ll need to put pressure on Herbert to throw a wrench in the Chargers’ passing game. Assuming Slater plays at the level he has all season, Ojulari will have a very difficult time doing so.

Most Promising Matchup: DL Dexter Lawrence vs. OG Michael Schofield

Los Angeles has a talented overall roster, so it’s hard to find many areas that favor the Giants. One exception could be the matchup between Lawrence and Schofield. While Lawrence isn’t breaking out as fans had hoped, New York still relies on him to make plays and create disruption up front.

Schofield is probably the Chargers’ weakest player along the offensive line, earning a subpar 60.4 grade from Pro Football Focus. Originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2014, the Michigan product has spent four of the past five years with the Chargers. The only reason he’s starting this year is because of the injury to Bryan Bulaga back in September. Lawrence needs beat him consistently on Sunday to help win the line of scrimmage for the Giants.

Keys to Victory

For the Giants to have any chance at a win on Sunday, they need to hope Herbert has an off-game. For as good as the second-year quarterback is, he’s not above a stinker or two. He has three games this year with a QB rating below 75. The Chargers have been dealing with some COVID-19 issues this week, and there’s a chance receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams won’t be cleared in time to suit up. The absence of those two weapons would severely compromise Los Angeles’ offense.

It’s hard to imagine New York’s offense being anything other than awful at this point. Maybe Fromm comes in and has a debut for the ages. Realistically, this game will have to be low-scoring and ugly for Big Blue to steal it.

Final Score Prediction: Chargers 27 – Giants 13

When both teams are fully healthy, the Chargers are good and the Giants are at best mediocre. Without their starting quarterback and some other key players, the Giants are plainly bad. The Chargers will outmatch them on Sunday.

– Ryan Cuneo is the Managing Editor of Full Press Giants. He covers the New York Giants. Like and follow on Follow @ryan_cuneo Follow @FullPressGiants and Facebook.