Giants vs. Falcons: 4 causes for concern in Week 16

The New York Giants will take their nine-game shedding streak on the street this Sunday as they face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16.

The Giants opened up as double-digit street underdogs earlier this week regardless of the Falcons coming off a efficiency the place they struggled towards a two-win Las Vegas Raiders crew — the one crew at the moment slated to choose forward of the Giants within the 2025 NFL draft.

In the meantime, the Giants are coming in losers of nine-straight video games and have struggled mightily for the reason that benching and eventual launch of quarterback Daniel Jones.

Listed below are 4 causes for concern going into Week 16.

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Falcons operating recreation

Stopping the run has been an issue for the Giants all season lengthy. They’re the Thirty first-ranked crew in relation to opponents’ yards per rush and twenty sixth in opponents’ rushes per recreation. The Falcons rank seventh within the league in rushes per recreation. With the Falcons turning to rookie Michael Penix on Sunday, anticipate a heavy dose of the Falcons operating recreation led by Bijan Robinson.

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Kyle Pitts

Lately, the Giants have actually struggled towards opposing tight ends. This season, that has probably not been a problem till not too long ago. The Giants have given up a landing in two straight video games and in three of their final 5 video games to opposing tight ends. With the rookie getting his first begin at quarterback, he might search for tight finish Kyle Pitts early and infrequently towards the Giants.

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Michael Penix will get his first begin

The Giants had loads of tape to organize for Kirk Cousins going into Sunday. Nevertheless, with the Falcons turning to rookie Michael Penix Jr., there isn’t a lot professional tape for the Giants to check to organize for the Falcons rookie.

Penix could also be out to show that the Giants made an enormous mistake passing on him within the 2024 NFL draft. Many had speculated that Chicago Bears rookie Caleb Williams was coming into the league in one of the best place for a rookie quarterback given the weapons round him. Nevertheless, the scenario Penix enters in Week 16 for a crew with an out of doors likelihood of creating the playoffs is a powerful one in itself, particularly towards the Giants protection.

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Giants damage report

The Giants are right down to the backups for the backups at many positions at this level within the season. With a laundry record of gamers on the damage report for Huge Blue on high of these already on season-ending injured reserve, the Giants are skinny at gamers at lots of their positional models. That doesn’t even point out the fixed flipping of quarterback between Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito because the Giants flip again to Lock this week.