The New York Giants (2-1) and Arizona Cardinals (1-2) will square off on Sunday afternoon in a Week 4 matchup at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The Giants opened the week as 1-point home underdogs, but the spread has worsened with New York now at +2.5.
With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Cardinals Wire managing editor Jess Root.
Jacoby Brissett has appeared efficient so far. What has surprised you most about the way he has operated this offense, and how much freedom does he actually have at the line of scrimmage?
Root: I'm not sure how much freedom he has. I have seen him clearly change a play once. But outside of the opener against a Chargers team that doesn't look good, he hasn't done particularly well. The passing offense is one of the least efficient in the league, averaging about 5.6 yards per pass play. He needed 52 passing attempts to get his 280 passing yards on Sunday.
In a similar game against the 49ers in terms of passing attempts last season, he had over 400 yards.
The Cardinals have been getting the ball out very quickly. Is that primarily by design, or has Arizona adjusted its passing game to protect Brissett from the pass rush?
That is by design. He is getting the ball out, but that has meant almost zero big plays. He doesn't move all that well and doesn't like to play off schedule, so he stays within the confines of the play, which makes sense as a career backup.
Which offensive or defensive matchup do you think is most likely to determine whether this becomes a high-scoring game or a grind-it-out affair?
I'm watching the Cardinals' defense slowing the rushing attack of Cam Skattebo and Najee Harris. They have been unable to slow the run game, especially in their last two games in the second half.
Arizona has allowed 127.7 rushing yards per game. Is that primarily a personnel issue, a schematic issue, or has the run defense simply been caught in some unfavorable situations?
It is all of the above. Schematically, it is the same as the last three seasons, and they have been bad. The personnel isn't significantly better, and then, when teams want to run the ball in the second half with a lead, the Cardinals can't stop them.
How do you see Sunday's game playing out? Who wins and what is the final score?
I am very wary of this game, but I think it will be a slow, sloggy game. I say the Cardinals win 16-13 on a late field goal.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants vs. Arizona Cardinals: Behind Enemy Lines
