Pregame Hype — Giants and Chargers

San Diego is coming off of consecutive home divisional victories (albeit against Kansas City and Oakland) and bracing themselves for a formidable opponent this week on the road at the Meadowlands. The New York Giants started out the season like a house of fire with a 5-0 record atop the NFC East they looked nearly unbeatable and were in the conversation for the best team in the league. Since then, The Giants have really been in a tailspin losing three games in a row with their quarterback Sheli Manning completing just a dreadful 31% of his passes over the last three weeks. The Chargers have recently been getting a little more pressure on opposing quarterbacks and will definitely look to get Manning uncomfortable early and often this Sunday in New York.

The Chargers aren’t taking the Giants lightly at all even though they have struggled over the last few weeks as LaDainian Tomlinson said: “I think it’s a measuring stick because of where we are. I think it’s a good measuring stick. This is a team that’s been good for a long time so we’re going to see where we stand. It’s going to tell us a lot about ourselves.” That is a very true statement considering that the Giants have been to the playoffs the last four years in a row including their Super Bowl victory in 2007. Even though the team has struggled of late they still rank 5th in the league in total offense gaining 386.9 yards a game and 7th in rushing offense. The defense is no joke either as they are 3rd in the league in yards allowed giving up just 278.1 yards a game and 3rd against the pass as well.

Along with the players in that Chargers locker room, Head Coach Norv Turner knows the talent that is on the Giants roster could match up with anyone in the league. Add in the extra fire that will be present with the sting of a three game losing streak and the Giants will undoubtedly be hungry to prove that they are the team from the first five weeks of the season not the last three. Turner said of the team attitude heading into this cross country trip: “Our guys are going to go into New York expecting their best because I think that’s what we’re going to get from them. They’re a talented group of guys that have had a couple tough weeks and there’s no doubt in my mind what we’ve got to get ready for. It’s going to be a real challenge for us.”

There is no question that this Giants team is one of the best in the league when they are firing on all cylinders, but with Manning dealing with plantar fasciitis and the defense dealing with its own share of injuries especially in the secondary, they do appear a bit vulnerable on the surface. One thing that won’t change regardless of the guys on the field in New York is the hometown crowd in favor of the Giants. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers acknowledged the power of the venue in New York saying: “It’s a tough place to go on the road in a game that I think will say a lot about us. We’ve put two (wins) together that many expected us to win as did we, but we’ve still had to go do it. This one will be the toughest we’ve had in the last three weeks.” It is really good to hear that the players are keeping things in perspective considering that victories over the lowly Raiders and Chiefs in back to back weeks, teams with a combined record of 3-12, doesn’t really mean much in the grand scheme of things.

If the Chargers are going to legitimatize themselves as contenders in the AFC, this weekend will be a large step in the right direction. On the road against a difficult opponent, San Diego needs to prove that their improvement statistically over the last two games has been more about them than who they were playing. One huge positive to take away from the last two games is the increase in pass rush that the team has generated. Both Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips recorded a pair of take downs in the game against Oakland and that can only bode well for the games ahead. The Chargers had 10 sacks in their wins over the Chiefs and Raiders which is more than half of their team total to date which is 17.

The ability to pressure the opposing quarterback while keeping pressure off of Philip Rivers is going to play a huge role in Sunday’s contest. The Bolts offensive line has looked much more cohesive in recent weeks keeping opposing pass rushers away from Rivers and providing the quarterback with time to make accurate reads and deliveries downfield. That front seven in New York is much more proven than the guys lining up in either Kansas City or Oakland however, so the Chargers big men up front will be able to prove themselves with a solid performance this week. Norv Turner likes what he has seen from this unit lately and said of the offensive line: “We are growing and we’re getting better. We’re getting some guys going. We’ll have a great week of practice and we’re looking forward to going back and playing. The look on our guys’ faces before the game, the energy we have before the game, and there’s a sense of confidence in terms of where we’re at. We’ve got a real challenge this week and we’ll go practice and prepare for it.”

Tags: Eli Manning, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Norv Turner, Oakland Raiders, Philip Rivers, Shaun Phillips, Shawne Merriman