New York Giants: Why week 3 vs the 49ers is a must win game

New York Giants, Daniel Jones
Sep 14, 2020; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants head coach Joe Judge speaks to his team before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Coming off two consecutive losses to open the 2020 season, the New York Giants are desperately in need of a victory. New head coach Joe Judge is not used to losing records, but his team has fought endlessly to try and turn the narrative around.

The Giants in 2019 were an embarrassment, with multiple rookies starting on defense and a lackluster offensive line.

However, the defense this year looks significantly better, and that is without second-round pick Xavier McKinney at free safety. They have competed well, with one of the best defenses through two weeks of the regular season.

Heading into a week three contest against the San Francisco 49ers, the Giants have a significant advantage based on injuries. While they did lose Saquon Barkley and Sterling Shepard to injured reserve, the 49ers are shredded at multiple units of importance. Their starting quarterback will likely miss the contest, their running back corps is depleted, and their defensive line is down the bare bones.

San Francisco 49ers likely inactives:

-Solomon Thomas (DL)

-Dee Ford (DL)

-Jimmy Garoppolo (QB)

-George Kittle (TE)

-Raheem Mostert (RB)

-Tevin Coleman (RB)

-Jason Verrett (CB)

The New York Giants must defeat the 49ers in week 3:

When any given team is missing that many playmakers, they aren’t expected to compete to the highest of their abilities. The Giants have a significant opportunity to gain some positive momentum and take down one of the best teams in the NFL.

Despite their injuries, they still managed to thrash the Jets last week 31–13. Nonetheless, the Giants have a far more impressive defense through two weeks, and their offense is capable of putting points on the board, despite Daniel Jones’ turnover issues.

As long as the Giants’ defensive front can get after Nick Mullens and put pressure on him, they can walk away with a victory. In addition, Daniel Jones must win the turnover battle and establish the running game. On paper, the Giants have a significant advantage, but they’ve found ways to keep other teams alive in the past, and I expect this to be competitive at the very least.