Here are three keys to victory for the Giants:
Puka Nacua (1,327) passed Hall of Famer Randy Moss (1,313) in Week 16 for the fifth-most receiving yards by a rookie in NFL history, needing 147 more to break the record. Cooper Kupp, his teammate and fellow mid-round draft choice, joined Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce as the only players in Rams history with 7,000+ career receiving yards in their first 100 games. But that’s not what makes the tandem the ultimate challenge.
“They’re the two best blocking wide receivers in the league, and that’s also helped the run game,” Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said. “I think that it just shows you that Sean and (tight end coach/passing game coordinator) Wes (Phillips), they get together and Sean says, ‘This is a guy I want and here’s how we’ll use him,’ with his system and it’s a tough system to defend. It’s one of the toughest to defend in the league.”
Martindale added, “They have the same skillset. They’ve got great hands. They run great routes. They are great run-after-catch guys. They’re physical when they block. It’s like having tight ends out there playing wide receiver, that’s how well they block. So, we’ve got to work on getting off blocks and shedding blocks and things like that, just like you would if there’s a tight end coming to block you.”
Aaron Donald needs no introduction, but here’s one anyway. Starting with his rookie season in 2014, this will be the sixth time the Giants face the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, nine-time Pro Bowler, and seven-time first-team All-Pro defensive tackle. The No. 1 item on every game plan is how to handle No. 99.
“I’ve been in this league a long time and not many defensive linemen that play that position play the way he plays,” Daboll said. “He’s a really hard player to block. He’s got tons of awards. He’s powerful, quick, strong, creates a lot of problems for everybody that he plays for as long as he has played. He’s really a remarkable, remarkable, fantastic player.”
“He’s just an alien,” Martindale said. “There’s no other – he’s just unreal and it’s down after down after down after down. He is one of the best. He’ll go down as one of the best three techniques of all time.”
Win or lose by the takeaway
The Giants’ fortunes have been tied to takeaways this season. They forced 12 turnovers during their three-game winning streak, which ended with an 18-point loss in New Orleans….
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at News…