With the 2021 regular season schedule being released on Wednesday evening, the New York Giants are set to play the Denver Broncos in week one. While the Giants would normally face off against the Dallas Cowboys or Philadelphia Eagles, this contest came out of left field. However, the Broncos are no pushover, despite having a quarterback controversy that involves Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater. Denver is unsure which QB will end up starting, as a position Battle will likely unfold throughout training camp.
Nonetheless, Lock understands the scheme more proficiently than Bridgewater, who was traded from the Carolina Panthers after they acquired Sam Darnold from the Jets.
Either way, the Giants will have a defensive advantage, despite Denver having a solid group of receivers, including Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, KJ Hamler, and Courtland Sutton. Big Blue bolstered their secondary this off-season, acquiring Adoree Jackson to man the CB2 spot. With the existing players of James Bradberry, Xavier McKinney, Logan Ryan, and Jabrill Peppers, the Giants should feel confident going into a contest against a team that doesn’t have an established quarterback to get the ball to his receivers.
As for the running back position, the Broncos have Melvin Gordon as their primary option, while the Giants feature Saquon Barkley. The Giants, last season, allowed the 10th least yards per game on the ground with 111.4. Denver, on the other hand, ranked at the bottom of the pack, allowing 130 per game.
The strong point for the Broncos is in their secondary, where they have a fantastic unit out of DBs with Kyle Fuller, Ronald Darby, Bryce Callahan, and the new addition of Patrick Surtain out of Alabama. That is not even including their safeties, Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons. The Giants will need to be clicking on all cylinders to beat a secondary as strong as Denver’s, but it will represent a fantastic challenge in week one after bolstering the unit this off-season.
The New York Giants need their young QB to show off his skills:
Ultimately, Daniel Jones will need to be on top of his game, making smooth reads and hitting his receivers in stride. He will have little room for error against a strong defensive back core. As for the Denver pass rush, they have Bradley Chubb and Von Miller, two of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL. They will put significant pressure on the young offensive tackles the Giants plan to feature next season unless Nate Solder manages to beat Matt Peart for the starting job at right tackle.
Denver dealt with a significant number of injuries last season, including a significant knee injury to Sutton that forced him to miss nearly the entire season. With a healthy squad to start the year, the Giants will have a significant challenge ahead, and one that shouldn’t be underestimated because of their quarterback situation.
This game will come down to a few factors, including a heavy reliance on the offensive line, Daniel Jones accuracy, and the Giants’ ability to put pressure on whatever quarterback Denver plans to roll with. As stated before, the Giants must be clicking on all cylinders to dominate this game, otherwise, this could easily become a more interesting ordeal.