The New York Giants enter Week 10 coming off their bye and are hoping to get back to their winning ways against the Houston Texans. It will be the first of back-to-back games at MetLife Stadium.
The Giants had a four-game winning streak until that was snapped by the Seattle Seahawks just before Big Blue’s bye week.
Meanwhile, the game against the Giants will be the second of three straight for the Texans against NFC East opponents. The Texans sit at 1-6-1 on the season as they hope to snap a three-game losing streak.
As the Giants look to improve to 7-2 on the season, here are some causes for concern headed into Week 10.
Stopping the run
Not to sound like a broken record here, but the Giants have been unable to stop the run all season long.
Texans running back Dameon Pierce has the sixth-most rushing yards in the league which could be a problem for the Giants on Sunday. Coincidentally, the Giants have allowed the sixth-most rushing yard in the league this year.
A top-6 runner going up against a bottom-6 rushing defense could be a recipe for disaster for the Giants.
The loss of Xavier McKinney
Xavier McKinney is not just one of the Giants’ best defensive players, but also a captain and the defensive signal caller. He will be replaced by co-captain, Julian Love, which is somewhat reassuring.
However, you can’t ignore the impact of losing a player of the caliber of McKinney.
The Giants will fall back on the “next man up” mentality that they’ve had all season long with the injuries that they’ve endured. Still, the loss of McKinney will be a big one that the defense will most certainly miss.
Brandin Cooks return
If there are any bright spots on the Houston Texans, one of them may very well be Brandin Cooks. Cooks was a target at the trade deadline but was never moved.
Now, while Cooks is frustrated over not being traded, his return to the field in Week 10 could prove to be a revenge game to show teams — like the Giants — why they should have presser harder to trade for him.
Between Pierce and Cooks, the Giants will have their hands full on defense despite the Texans’ 1-6-1 record.
