The Broncos will return from their bye week to host a New York Giants team that has just been through a disastrous loss — and that was just the game.
Four of the Giants’ receivers — including superstar Odell Beckham, Jr., who suffered a season-ending fracture to his ankle — all left the 27-22 loss to the Chargers after sustaining various injuries. Fellow wideout Dwayne Harris also saw his season come to an abrupt end when he broke his foot, while Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard both left the game with ankle injuries, leaving the team with second-year player Roger Lewis as the only healthy wide receiver target for quarterback Eli Manning.
Beckham’s injury was devastating. With four minutes left and the Giants desperately hanging on to a two-point lead, Manning targeted Beckham on a short pass. Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward pulled a leaping Beckham out of the air, pinning and twisting his ankle under his body.
Beckham had to be carted off. On the very next play, Manning was strip-sacked, and the Chargers scored the game-winning touchdown only three plays later.
The Giants now come to Denver, winless and shorthanded, to face off against a ferocious Broncos defense that leads the league in total yards against, leads the league in rushing yards against, and sits third in passing yards against.
It seems like a perfect storm for the beleaguered Giants, and an easy win for the Broncos. But in a season where underdogs have shocked week after week, the Broncos should be ready for anything.
Marshall, as of Monday, was scheduled for more tests on his injured ankle, while Shepard was listed as day-to-day with an ankle injury of his own. Either of them them would be good receiving options for Manning; but having both would be ideal for New York.
Marshall — a former Bronco — has been gone to the Pro Bowl six times in his career. In his first year with the Giants, his numbers have diminished, but he remains a distinct threat to any defensive backfield. Shepard is in his second year after being drafted by the Giants in 2016. Despite falling off of the pace for touchdowns from his rookie season, with only one through five games, Shepard’s 22 catches is behind only Beckham (25) on the team, and he’s averaging a solid 12.0 yards per catch.
Manning, constantly under duress behind a porous offensive line, is having a difficult season. While he’s completed a solid 67.8 percent of his passes, his 8-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio is awful, and his passer rating of 89.1 is good for only 18th in the league. For comparison, that puts Manning directly ahead of 19th-ranked Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian by a mere 0.1 points — Siemian has thrown seven touchdowns in fewer games.
On the ground, the Giants have a four-pronged attack featuring veterans Orleans Darkwa, Paul Perkins, Shane Vereen, and rookie Wayne Gallman. The Giants have mixed and matched throughout the season, hoping that one back will rise above the rest, but it asn;t happened. Currently, Darkwa and Gallman are getting the most touches, with Darkwa averaging 5.8 yards per carry and Gallman averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Darkwa is the more explosive back, having broken two rushes over 20 yards so far this season. Despite decent stats as a team, the Giants have been largely ineffective on the ground; having earned just two rushing touchdowns this season… one of them to the 36-year-old Manning.
Despite the injuries and their abysmal 0-5 record, the Broncos’ can’t take them for granted; as a team that’s been surprisingly susceptible to the big play, they’ll be facing a quarterback in Manning — a two-time Super Bowl MVP and champ — who can still take advantage of momentary slip-ups.
As the Broncos look to keep the Giants winless on Sunday night, they’ll have to keep their focus for all four quarters, and take nothing for granted at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.