How NY Giants Can Beat the Chiefs: 3 Keys for Week 3

It's often one of the toughest challenges facing the Chiefs in being able to successfully track down and contain the talents of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and all that he can do with his extremely gifted athleticism.

No, Mahomes isn't the fastest or most nimble gunslinger the Giants will compete with on their schedule, such as a Jayden Daniels whom they saw in Week 1, but he knows how to get around, evade trouble in the pocket, and make something happen out of nothing with the best of them in the NFL.

If the All-Pro and three-time Super Bowl champion feels the need to take off and run, he certainly can do it, and the rushing element has grown larger in each of his first nine seasons. Since the 2020 season, Mahomes has collected at least 300 rushing yards five times while averaging at least 5.0 yards per attempt and adding 16 touchdowns on the ground.

Mahomes isn't afraid to use his legs to attain the first down when his offense is in a pinch due to solid coverage at the deeper levels of the opposing defenses. He has the physical size and frame to carry some defenders with him or shed their tackles to gain the back-breaking yards that could ultimately decide the game in a close scenario.

Nonetheless, the bigger advantage for Mahomes comes with his ability to use the extra time allotted via his sturdy mobility to author unfathomable plays when one thinks they've just about got him and the Chiefs offense down for the count. In some cases, his numbers look even better when pressure is put on his neck.

Mahomes averaged 2.77 seconds to throw last season, tied for sixth-longest among quarterbacks with at least 600 drop-backs. When he was able to scramble out of the pocket and escape to the perimeter, that number jumped up to 5.09 seconds to throw. In that time, he produced 10 touchdowns compared to 7 interceptions and 15 big-time plays relative to his 3.2% turnover-worthy play percentage.

The gist is that Mahomes can get the ball out in all different kinds of ways, making the goal of the Giants' defense to keep him contained within the pocket and try to test his resolve with pressure bearing down from the interior. The Chiefs have only allowed four sacks in two games so far, though, so it's going to be a tough job for even a stout defensive front to accomplish.

Protect the Football

Through the first two games of the season, one thing that fans and commentators can't ridicule the Giants on too much is turning the ball over.

However, the Giants' offense would give away its first turnover of the campaign last week in Dallas, and unfortunately, it was a very costly one.

In the waning minutes of overtime, quarterback Russell Wilson looked like he saw some ghosts as the Cowboys' pass rush was crashing down on him, forcing him to unwisely chuck a moonball downfield towards Malik Nabers that was intercepted by safety Donovan Wilson and taken back the other way to help the Cowboys set up a crushing game-winning field goal.

While it was hard to fully hate on Wilson for his first real mistake as a Giants gunslinger, the reality is that it was a major reason why they did not come away victorious with what felt like a thrilling performance that was heading their way because of his passing heroics that toppled a near career-high 450 yards and three touchdowns.

As the team looks to rebound against the Chiefs on Sunday, making sure they avoid another eerily similar fate will be much more important. Kansas City brought back nearly all the members of their defensive secondary this offseason, and its unit is coming off a year in which it finished top five in forced turnovers and 11th overall in the interceptions category.

In addition to those impressive stats, the Chiefs were among the league's elite at limiting opposing aerial attacks and making it difficult to move the football that way. They ranked second in team coverage grade last season, behind just the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, whom they lost to in the big game and held to the 18th-lowest yards and 14th-lowest yards per play in that same time period.

Still, being pesky ballhawks and disrupting any attempts to connect with one's receivers were certainly their specialty, as five different players notched at least five pass deflections and two interceptions, including two notable returning faces in cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, who were among the top 20 corners in coverage last season.

The one piece of good news for the Giants is that the Chiefs' group has not been as stout when it comes to protecting the endzone through two games. Kansas City currently ranks 19th in opponent redzone scoring percentage (66.7%). It is vulnerable in stopping teams on third and fourth downs, especially when a team's ground game gains momentum and chews up those tiring yards.

That means that while they are still a very good unit that demands respect from the opponent every Sunday, they can be had if Wilson and the Giants can have another strong showing where they protect the football and keep it out of harm's way.

Limit DT Chris Jones

Finally, there is always one key defensive player who seems to show up in about every game the Giants play in recent seasons. That trend won't be any different with the Chiefs coming to town, as they'll be paid a visit from one of the NFL's most elite pass rushers in Chris Jones.

Jones has undoubtedly become one of the most successful defensive tackles across the league since he stepped onto the scene in 2018, well deserving of being placed in the same breath as other great names in that same span, such as the Giants' own Dexter Lawrence II.

In his first nine seasons, Jones, a former second-round pick by the Chiefs out of Mississippi State, has consistently outperformed inferior offensive linemen and been a constant problem for poorly protected quarterbacks.

In his first nine seasons, Jones, a former second-round pick by the Chiefs out of Mississippi State, has consistently outperformed inferior offensive linemen and been a constant problem for poorly protected quarterbacks. He has racked up 80.5 sacks in his career, including three double-digit sack resumes, with two of them coming in the last three seasons. 

When facing the Giants, Jones has been awfully quiet in just two career meetings. He has made four tackles, including two assists and just one sack, which came in the previous meeting back in 2021. That slow start has come again this season, with just four tackles in two contests that saw Kansas City lose twice. 

With the Chiefs in an 0-2 hole and desperately needing to climb out of it with a win against the Giants, one should expect them to lean on the pass-rushing prowess of Jones, who will want to give a strong outing in primetime to prove he’s still among the best at his position. 

Jones typically plays his snaps from the interior and, in particular, the B-gap, where he has tallied over 3,600 career snaps. The Chiefs also like to send him out to the edge, where his strength and nose for the football can make plays when the pocket gets disrupted and the quarterback has to scramble for his life. 

The Giants' interior of the offensive line has been a major concern through two games, with the center and guards responsible for 11 of the Giants’ 22 pressures allowed. Dealing with Jones could be an issue early if the middle can’t hold up, and he has a direct line to a slightly less agile Russell Wilson, who has had to scramble enough.

Protecting the edges might be a better proposition, though, especially given the Giants are expected to have All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas back for the first time since Week 6 of last season from a Lisfranc injury. Jermaine Eluemunor has done a pretty solid job holding down the left side as well, with just two pressures in 97 pass blocking reps.

There were some noticeable areas of improvement with the Giants' offensive line last week against the Cowboys, and it played a part in Wilson’s insane passing day that gave New York a rare offensive explosion on the scoreboard. 

Adding Thomas back into the fold would figure to mean a little more for Sunday night; that’ll be one of the biggest steps if the Giants want to make the most of their offensive possessions against Kansas City and find more highlight-filled showings the rest of the season.