After a lengthy road trip, the Denver Broncos finally are back in the Mile High City. Next up? They host the up-and-coming New York Giants. With that said, let’s take a deeper look at the Giants, some
key players, and what the Broncos must do to earn their fifth win of the season in front of a hometown crowd on Sunday.
2024 New York Giants Season Review
The Giants finished 3-14 and were at the bottom of the NFC East last season. Their offense was dreadful, ranking 31st in points scored and 30th in yard gained. Their defense wasn’t much better, coming in at 21st in points allowed and 24th in yards allowed.
2025 New York Giants Offseason Additions and Departures
The biggest additions the Giants made in free agency and the draft helped out their defense. They nabbed Jevon Holland to be a starting safety and Pauslon Adebo to be one of their top cornerbacks in 2025. On top of that, veteran defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris was added to their already stout defensive front.
The team was also in the market for a new quarterback. The Giants added quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to compete for a starting job. However, Wilson already fumbled away that opportunity after a disastrous start to the season.
With the third overall pick, the Giants added Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter to add more star power to their defense. They also traded back into the first round to select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. He is their starter now and has shown some moxie over the past few weeks that has helped reinvigorate the team. Other notable draft additions were defensive tackle Darius Alexander, running back Cam Skattebo, and versatile offensive lineman Marcus Mbow.
Offensive X-Factor: Running back Cam Skattebo
Wide receiver Malik Nabers would have easily gotten the nod for their offensive X-Factor. Unfortunately, he is out for the season after tearing his ACL in September against the Los Angeles Chargers. I considered putting quarterback Jaxson Dart here but opted to settle on fourth-round running back Cam Skattebo.
Appearing in six games with three starts thus far, Skattebo already has 338 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns on the ground. He has also been a reliable receiver out of the backfield with 20 receptions for 155 yards. In fact, nearly a third of all his touches result in first downs. I’ve been very impressed with how he has performed thus far.
Denver’s run defense has been pretty stout to start the season. However, this is a game where they can’t afford to let Skattebo be a battering ram for the Giants offense. They need to wrap up, tackle, and ensure he doesn’t help them sustain drives. I’m optimistic Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph will have a gameplan which limits the rookie’s impressive dual threat ability.
Defensive X-Factor: EDGE Brian Burns
The Broncos have faced an impressive slate of defensive front sevens this season. The Giants are yet another team that gets added to the list in that regard. There are several players I could name here, but Brian Burns is the guy on their defense I’m the most worried about.
After starting his career with the Carolina Panthers, Burns was traded to New York last season. He was a seventeen-game starter for the Giants and racked up 71 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 18 quarterback hits, and 8.5 sacks. This year he has been even more impressive. The former Florida State standout is off to a really hot start in ’25 with 30 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, and 11 quarterback hits and a forced fumble.
He has been an absolute game-wrecker and one of the best EDGE rushers in the NFL this season. While Denver’s offense line has done reasonably well to start the season, I’m concerned about Burns crashing the Broncos’ welcome home party. This is a game I believe Bo Nix and the passing offense needs to show some improvement. Burns could significantly inhibit their progress if he is able get after Nix and generate pressure.
How the Broncos can secure a victory over the Giants
Just like any game, winning the turnover battle will be crucial. The Broncos need to improve in that regard moving forward. Joseph and the defense will have an opportunity to do that going up against Dart and an inexperienced offense. But so far, the Giants have done well protecting the ball in the games he has started.
Defensively, the Giants are good up front, but they have some weaknesses in their secondary. I’m really hoping Nix and Denver’s aerial attack can start to be much more efficient. After an impressive first quarter against the Jets, Head Coach Sean Payton somehow abandoned the passing game in the second half. For this Sunday’s matchup, I’d like to see Payton let Nix loose.
The Broncos need other receivers and playmakers on offense besides Courtland Sutton to step up. They need a bounce back performance after failing to impress against a winless Jets team last Sunday. I believe they will be able to rise to the occasion and make that happen.
Hart’s Prediction: Broncos 27, Giants 17.
