Giants (2-4) at Broncos (4-2)
When: 2:05 p.m. Sunday
Where: Empower Field at Mile High Stadium
TV/radio: CBS, 850 AM/94.1 FM
Broncos-Giants series: This is a pretty rare matchup. These franchises have only played 13 times, and the Broncos have the narrow edge at 7-6 in those matchups. They beat the Giants 27-13 in their last meeting in 2021’s season opener, when Vic Fangio seemed to finally land a quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater before another year went sideways.
In the spotlight: It’s bulletin-board time for the pass-rushers, all of a sudden
The best way to explain what occurred on Twitter Thursday is just to roll that clip from 2004’s “Anchorman,” when Ron Burgundy sips a beer and reflects after a beautifully nonsensical brawl with his rival news crews.
“That escalated quickly,” Burgundy remarks. “I mean, that really got out of hand fast.”
Let’s recap for anyone not terminally online. On Wednesday, Broncos OLB Jonathon Cooper uttered some eyebrow-raising remarks on Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart: “He’s feelin’ himself a little bit.” Perhaps they were complimentary remarks. Perhaps not. Either way, Cooper quickly became one of the most disliked men in New Jersey, which is saying something.
After Cooper’s remarks went viral around Giants Twitter, Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto tweeted — and quickly deleted — a message that he’d “never seen such a delusional fan base.” Giants rookie OLB Abdul Carter then quote-tweeted Cooper’s remarks on Dart with a message to “put ya 3D glasses on.” Fellow New York pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux blasted out a couple of cryptic GIFs. Cooper later posted a sunglasses-wearing emoji.
The winner of the great Oct. 16 Edge Rusher Broncos-Giants Twitter War is unclear. The folks at the unfortunate mercy of such shenanigans, however, might just be Dart and Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. And their offensive lines.
These are two of the most fearsome pass-rush units in the NFL, with a bit of extra gamesmanship now under their belts. Giants head coach Brian Daboll complimented Bonitto as an “unbelievable pass-rusher” this week. Cooper has been special in his own right, coming off an AFC Defensive Player of the Week nod. New York, though, has a nasty triumvirate in Carter, Thibodeaux and Brian Burns, the last of whom is having an early career year with seven sacks.
“They got like four werewolves in there,” Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said Thursday. “So, yeah, it’s going to be a challenge.”
It’ll be even more of a challenge with a depleted offensive line, as Denver will start its third straight left guard in three weeks. Starter Ben Powers is on injured reserve. So is backup Matt Peart. The Broncos appear to be turning to Alex Palczewski, the fanbase’s jumbo-tight-end hero, who held up adequately filling in for Mike McGlinchey for a few games at right tackle last year.
Denver has one of the best pass-blocking units in the NFL around him, but New York’s been nearly unstoppable in affecting the pocket when Carter, Thibodeaux and Burns are on the field together: a 46% pressure rate in such situations, according to Next Gen Stats.
The Giants’ ability to keep the Dart-Cam Skattebo good vibes rolling, meanwhile, will depend largely on the success of their tackles. Andrew Thomas may be the best pass-blocker Bonitto or Cooper has faced yet, leading all tackles in pressure rate allowed (1.2%) this season, according to Next Gen Stats. Dart, as electric as he’s been through a few starts, has struggled mightily when throwing under pressure: just 12 of 29 with a 42.2 quarterback rating.
This is a mano-a-mano matchup of two of the best pass-rush units in the league. And the gamesmanship’s already flowing.
Who has the edge?
When Broncos run: J.K. Dobbins acknowledged he didn’t have his best game last week, but the Broncos’ offensive line didn’t exactly do a stellar job creating rushing lanes for him. The body of work here earns the benefit of the doubt, though, as Denver still ranks seventh in the league in rushing offense. Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke is really good — 54 tackles in six games — but New York’s defense sits at 22nd in the NFL in rushing defense (128.8 yards per game allowed). Edge: Broncos
When Broncos pass: At some point, there’s a large enough sample size to say that Denver doesn’t have a great passing attack right now. The game-to-game impact of individual receivers is all over the map, although Sean Payton usually hits on something with Marvin Mims Jr. or Troy Franklin every game. Tight end Evan Engram looks like he’s coming along, too. None of the Giants’ secondary members have had particularly standout seasons in coverage, though; cornerback Paulson Adobo has allowed the sixth-most yards in coverage of any corner in the NFL. Edge: Even
When Giants run: Cam Skattebo is a tongue-wagging, shirt-ripping menace of a rookie running back. His energy, as Broncos defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers said this week, has made this team go. He’s particularly excellent in the red zone with five touchdowns in his last five games. Jaxson Dart’s been a force on the ground, too, with 50-plus rushing yards in each of his first three starts. That’ll be a neat challenge for a Broncos defense that just bottled up one of the best ground games in the league in the New York Jets. Slight edge: Broncos
When Giants pass: For all the Dart hype, he’s averaged just 169 passing yards a game in his three starts leading New York’s offense. Star receiver Malik Nabers’ season-ending injury removes much of the teeth in the Giants’ passing attack, and New York’s offensive line has surrendered the eighth-most pressures in the league. The Broncos have a ton of experience at this point dealing with mobile quarterbacks and affecting them with just a four-man rush. Edge: Broncos
Special teams: The Broncos just inked special-teams ace and longtime Darren Rizzi ally J.T. Gray to provide some juice in the kicking game, after the Jets soundly outplayed them in this area in London last week. The Giants haven’t been particularly great in the return game, which could offer Rizzi’s unit an opportunity to get back on track. Edge: Even
Coaching: Brian Daboll’s managed to pull the Giants back from the brink with a 2-1 record across their last three games, including impressive wins over the Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles. Still, the man was on the hot seat just a few weeks ago, and he went 3-14 last year. Benching Russell Wilson for Dart was a smart move, but it’s not enough to outweigh Sean Payton and Vance Joseph’s body of work across the last two years. Edge: Broncos
Tale of the tape
Broncos Giants Total offense 337.0 (15th) 328.2 (19th) Rush offense 130.2 (7th) 126.2 (T-9th) Pass offense 206.8 (16th) 202.0 (17th) Points per game 21.7 (20th) 20.2 (T-26th) Total defense 254.2 (2nd) 370.8 (28th) Run defense 89.0 (6th) 128.8 (22nd) Pass defense 165.2 (3rd) 242.0 (26th) Points allowed 15.8 (2nd) 24.0 (20th)By the numbers
77: Yards for Giants’ sudden No. 1 wideout Wan’Dale Robinson against Eagles man coverage last week.
20: Catches for Cam Skattebo out of the backfield this season in six games.
10%: Jaxson Dart’s completion percentage on deep balls this year.
2.9: Yards per carry for J.K. Dobbins against the Jets in Week 6, his lowest mark of the season.
78.5: New York’s yardage per game on third down, eighth-most in the NFL.
16: Quarterback hits for both Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto, tied for the most in the NFL.
X-factors
Broncos: WR Pat Bryant. It may be time. Bryant’s snap share has jumped every game since Week 3, and he was on the field for over 60% of the Broncos’ offensive snaps against the Jets. He’s only caught four passes this season, but the number of routes he’s running suggests he’s in line for a breakout game in the very near future. He’d give Bo Nix another key option over the middle beyond Courtland Sutton.
Giants: TE Theo Johnson. Quietly, Johnson’s become Jaxson Dart’s go-to guy in the red zone in Nabers’ absence, with three touchdown grabs in his last three games. Eagles TE Dallas Goedert caught a short TD in Week 5 by simply separating from Broncos ILB Alex Singleton, and Denver will need to have a plan for Johnson inside the 20-yard line.
Post predictions
Parker Gabriel, Broncos writer: Broncos 17, Giants 13
Week-to-week, it’s difficult to pin down exactly what to expect from Sean Payton and the Broncos’ offense. What’s not nearly as muddled: The Denver defense is elite. They’ve got 10 sacks more than anybody else in football this season already. Jaxson Dart’s brought energy to the G-men, but Denver’s completely swallowed up mobile quarterbacks the past two weeks in Jalen Hurts and Justin Fields. If WR Malik Nabers were playing in this game, the New York offense would feel much scarier. Instead, both of these defensive fronts are primed to do damage. The Broncos’ unit just normally does more.
Luca Evans, Broncos writer: Broncos 27, Giants 10
Alright, let’s say it. Let Bo Cook. Sean Payton has a golden opportunity to play not-so-conservative football against New York and get Bo Nix in rhythm against a Giants secondary that’s not very good. If the Broncos’ front can hold up, Denver can easily string some big plays together and get Nix humming like he was late against the Eagles. Cam Skattebo will run for one touchdown, but the Broncos have all the motivation they appear to need to swallow up Dart.
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When even English fans are embarrassed by the Broncos after watching soccer their entire lives, it speaks to the ground the offense has to cover. The Broncos do one thing well, ranking seventh in rushing yards per game at 103.7. And the Giants allow 128.8. Time to lean on J.K. Dobbins for 20 carries and add more uptempo for Bo Nix in the passing attack. The Broncos offense won’t need to do much because Denver’s defense will smother the Arm&Hammer duo of Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo.
Sean Keeler, Broncos writer: Broncos 24, Giants 20
Jaxson Dart is the NFL’s new Alex Warren — and his first month as a starter has been anything but “Ordinary.” But wasn’t Gardner Minshew the last rookie QB to win at Empower Field? Back in 2019? The Broncos defense has come a long, long, long way since then. Dart is completing just 48% of his throws this season with one score and two picks when under pressure. No defensive front has been generating pressure like Vance Joseph’s crew since Buddy Ryan’s 1980s Bears. Dart and Cam Skattebo are out there running around like kids on the playground. This is a business trip, and nobody messes with Sean Payton’s business in October.
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