The New York Giants are going up against one of their toughest opponents of the season in Week 3 — the Super Bowl-contending San Francisco 49ers.
The Giants coming off their first win of the season and hope to build off that momentum swing on the short week.
Buy Giants TicketsThe 49ers will be no easy task for Big Blue on Thursday night, however.
Here are three causes for concern going into Week 3:
Injuries
If you were to list the top five players on the Giants roster, both Andrew Thomas and Saquon Barkley would be on that list.
Both players are extremely important to the offense and their availability for Big Blue is in serious doubt for Thursday night.
Although Brian Daboll will not rule him out just yet, Barkley could miss three weeks with an ankle sprain suffered in Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.
Meanwhile, Andrew Thomas is nursing a hamstring injury that kept him out in Week 2.
The Giants may also be without Azeez Ojulari, a name becoming a trend on the injury report dating back to the beginning of the 2022 season.
Obviously, the Giants’ chances of winning would take a massive his without them.
49ers' offensive weapons
The 49ers’ biggest strength may very well be the weapons they have on the offensive side of the ball. They’ve scored 30 points in each of their first two games of the season.
With an elite talent of Christian McCaffrey at running back, stud receivers in Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, and one of the league’s best tight ends in George Kittle, the Giants’ defense is going to have their hands full on Thursday.
In particular, the two rookie corners — Tre Hawkins and Deonte Banks — are going to have their toughest task of the season.
Hopefully, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has a plan up his sleeve to slow down the 49ers’ high-powered offense.
49ers pass rush
Through two games, the Giants’ offensive line has been anything but consistent, both in terms of personnel and performance.
After allowing seven sacks in Week 1 against the Cowboys, Big Blue allowed three sacks against the Cardinals but just one in the second half.
The 49ers don’t pose quite the threat the Cowboys did in Week 1. However, they still bring an elite pass-rushing group from last year which could spell danger for Big Blue — especially if the O-Line is patchwork once again.
