Dottino: 3 Key Matchups In Giants-Cardinals, Plus A Prediction

By Paul Dottino
» More Columns

Giants coach Tom Coughlin believes his team was able to effectively turn the page at practice this week after its ugly 35-14 Opening Day loss in Detroit.

Only time will tell, but you would think it's critical for the Giants -- particularly the offense -- to get off to a good start in their home opener on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, who are coming off an 18-17 victory over San Diego.

Here are three key matchups to watch:

Cardinals QB Carson Palmer vs. Giants' pass-rush: Palmer, who's nursing a sore shoulder, showed enough mobility to slice the Chargers for 304 yards and two touchdowns. In part, that also allowed him to buy time to fire an NFL-leading 11 attempts of at least 20 yards. How does this impact the Giants? Well, as inconsistent as their secondary might have looked against the Lions, it was their pass-rush that moved the pocket but could not finish against Matt Stafford, who eluded the pressure on two of his touchdown throws.

Damontre Moore's opening-drive miss was the most glaring -- blitzing CB Walter Thurmond brought the heat on the second scoring strike -- and it resulted in Calvin Johnson's 67-yard score. Moore took it hard, so let's see if he responds with a big day against Cardinals RT Bobby Massie. By the way, veteran Robert Ayers had the Giants' only sack in Week 1. He and the rest of the defensive line must be more disruptive (yes, sacks) this time.

Cardinals WRs Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald vs. Giants CBs Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara: It's assumed that Floyd (a 1,000-yard producer last year) will become the Cards' primary big-play threat this season. He caught five balls for 119 yards last week while Fitzgerald was limited to a 22-yard grab in the fourth quarter. But you can be sure that Fitzgerald doesn't want to be forgotten about, regardless of how he attempted to downplay his dad's public criticism of how little his son was utilized in the game plan. The Giants' corners will have to be especially sticky if Palmer is able to maneuver in the backfield, but that's likely asking too much against Arizona's talented skyscraping duo.

Giants C J.D. Walton vs. Cardinals NT Dan Williams and DT Frostee Rucker. Walton had a very rough night against Detroit's powerful interior line. Williams (6-foot-2, 327) is a large plugger who likely will line up next to Rucker (6-foot-3, 280), who's dealing with calf and back issues, in the 3-4. If Rucker cannot go, athletic run-stopping rookie Ed Stinson (6-foot-4, 287), a fifth-round pick, is expected to get the starting nod.

As much as Williams will use his experience against Giants rookie LG Weston Richburg, Walton should be able to physically match up with Rucker or call on some guile against Stinson. The bottom line is that the Giants have to do a better job in the front of the pocket to allow QB Eli Manning to better survey the field and/or step up when he makes his throws.

PREDICTION: Giants 20, Cardinals 17

PREDICTION RECORD vs. the spread: 1-0

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories