After New York Giants‘ Odell Beckham Jr. finished week 2 with just 51 yards on four catches, it was apparent that he was underutilized and locked up for a majority of the game. Dallas managed to put extensive pressure on Eli Manning, forcing him to check the ball down to running back Saquon Barkley, which is exactly what the Cowboys wanted. As soon as Barkley had the ball, they would swarm and minimize his effect on the game.
In week 3, the Giants will face off against a better defensive line featuring JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney. Houston will likely mimic the scheme of Dallas, putting extreme pressure on Manning by using the linebackers to their advantage.
The big difference will be the usage of Beckham Jr., who was seldom targeted against Dallas. The trick will be to get him more involved earlier in the game to force the Texans to honor the pass game and drop back deeper into coverage. It will open up the running game and allow single coverage for Sterling Shepard and Cody Latimer.
An interesting fact:
OBJ has an AFC fetish…averaging 119.7 yards receiving against AFC opponents. Three of his top four games have been against opponents in that division, and you better believe his next big game could be on Sunday. After all, he didn’t receive a monster extension to be ignored.
“I’m a shooter. So if I don’t get to shoot, you kind of feel useless, no matter what you’re doing,†Beckham told Kimberley Martin of Yahoo Sports. “Even when I’m out there decoying and distracting defenses and drawing coverages, there’s still that part of you that wants to get your shot up.â€