The New York Giants (2-4) and Arizona Cardinals (2-3-1) will square off on Sunday afternoon in a Week 7 matchup featuring two young teams in the rebuilding phase.
The Giants opened the week as 2.5-point home favorites, and nothing has changed in that regard.
With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Cardinals Wire managing editor Jess Root.
Giants Wire: There’s a lot to unpack in this game, but let’s start with the obvious: Kyler Murray. The No. 1 overall pick started off with a few small hiccups but has rounded into shape nicely in recent weeks. What have you seen in terms of his progression, ability to read and react to defenses and, perhaps most importantly, how well has he balanced his ability to run with finding success from the pocket?
Jess Root: Murray has made great progress. Playing from the pocket is not an issue for him. He can make throws. He makes reads. He checks in and out of plays at the line of scrimmage. In fact, while he was perhaps most known coming into the league for his legs, he has run far less than most would expect.
For the first two weeks it looked like he was consciously not running. Through the first four games, he was sacked 20 times and that was mostly his fault. He would hold on to the ball too long or make his move too late. He has learned to get the ball away or throw it away much more quickly. He has been sacked only once in the last two games.
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Patrick Peterson returns after a six-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy. What does he add to a struggling defense, and what percentage of snaps can we expect him to play come Sunday?
The Cardinals defense hasn’t done much of anything well thus far other than get a few sacks. Peterson likely will be out there for every defensive snap like he normally would. Most importantly, he shifts the cornerback talent. Tramaine Brock won’t have to guard a top WR. He will focus only on the slot. Rookie Byron Murphy will be able to be a complementary player. And since the Cardinals have yet to intercept a pass this season, maybe that changes.
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The Cardinals aren’t the only team with a returning star. The Giants will get back both Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram this Sunday, adding two game-changing pieces to their offense. How do you anticipate the Cardinals will approach slowing down Barkley? And given how badly they’ve been beaten by tight ends this season, will there be a new approach to stopping Engram?
Thus far, we haven’t seen any approach other than having a safety or a linebacker cover tight ends. However, with Patrick Peterson back, DC Vance Joseph perhaps can scheme for it more. With no Peterson, Joseph had to basically scheme everywhere, which meant open holes. Peterson can just handle his assignment and the Cardinals can now roll coverage to account for Engram.
As for Barkley, the Cardinals have been inconsistent about stopping opposing running backs. They did a solid job on Kerryon Johnson. They bottled up Mark Ingram. They did well against Christian McCaffrey except for one devastating 76-yard run. Other than that, he was held to 77 yards on 23 carries.
That said, the Cardinals have not kept any team under 100 rushing yards this season.
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The Giants will see a familiar face in Justin Pugh on Sunday. How has his Cardinals career gone to this point, and are you comfortable with him going up against rookie defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, who is quickly developing into a superstar?
Pugh missed most of the season last year. That was not what was hoped for a guy getting a five-year contract. And when he played, he didn’t look great. That said, he was playing right guard, a position he previously had not played.
This year, he is at left guard, he has played every snap of every game so far and has been good. He and the other interior linemen have been solid.
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I’ve long banged the drum for David Johnson, at times arguing that he was the best back in the league. However, his statistics would indicate a steady decline since 2016. He’s averaging under 4.0 yards per carry and under 50 rushing yards per game this season. While he’s still causing fits as a receiver out of the backfield, what do you attribute to the lacking numbers on the ground?
To be honest, most of his lack of production in the running game can be attributed to lack of volume. In the games when he had at least 15 carries, he has been David Johnson. When the Cardinals do not give him more attempts, he is not as effective. However, he is still 10th in the league in yards from scrimmage and on pace for more than 1,600 for the season. Ultimately, does it matter how he gets his yards?
He doesn’t look as dynamic as a runner as he did in 2016, but that also can be attributed to coaching and scheme. Some say he looks like he is trying to run like Le’Veon Bell. Not coincidentally, his running backs coach is James Saxon, who coached Bell with the Steelers. He has had three different position coaches in three years and three different offensive schemes in the last three years.
Check out Jess Root for all of your Cardinals needs over at Cardinals Wire.
