The Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants game appears to be much more intriguing than it would have been a few weeks ago. The Giants were 2-8 and the Packers were 3-6 after Week 10. It was certain that ESPN would try to flex out of the Monday Night Football time slot.
A few weeks later, the Giants are fighting for respectability, at the very least, while the Packers are fighting to make it out of an incredibly crowded NFC Wild Card spot. The Giants could theoretically maintain their slim chances of making the playoffs while also weakening the Packers’ position if they win this game.
The Giants defense has a crucial task ahead of them because of this. Jordan Love, the quarterback, has been leading the Packers’ comeback lately. The Giants will have to figure out how to get him back to earth. How are they going to do that?
Conceal extensive coverage
Eliminating his turnovers has made the biggest impact for Love. He had thrown 10 interceptions in his first nine games, but in the last three games, he has not thrown any.
This is primarily due to much improved efficiency on deep passes. Love completed the season with a fifth-highest rate of deep passes (15.3%) of all 37 eligible quarterbacks through Week 10, although his output did not keep up with the volume. With a 2:4 TD:INT ratio and a 30th-ranked deep passing grade (65.5) for 564 yards, he only completed 16 of 46 passes (34.8%, 22nd) for 564 yards. His play rate that warranted a turnover, 9.6%, was 27th.
Love is throwing a little less deep this past three games (13%, 13th out of 33 qualifiers), but his output has increased significantly. With a 95.5 PFF deep passing grade, he is ranked fifth. He also has a 3:0 TD:INT ratio, completes 57.1% of his passes for 221 yards (third), and has a 0% turnover-worthy play rate.
Love tends to be intense. As a result, the Giants should give him looks prior to the snap that seem favorable for deep passes, like Cover 1 or Cover 3 (down the seams), and then change to quarters or other two-high looks after the snap.
Getting this done without Christian Watson on the field might be simpler. Over the last three games, Watson has four touchdown receptions, including two last week against Kansas City. However, he suffered a hamstring injury late in the game, so it’s unclear how he’ll feel on Monday night.
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