It is unwise for a head coach to stand up in front of his team and say “Look, fellas, we got to win every game from here on out, or else the season is a disaster.’’ Sometimes, though, the truth hurts.
Coach Tom Coughlin has not issued those marching orders, but he has, firmly, made sure the Giants “are fully aware of the circumstance we’ve put ourselves in and the importance of the final eight games of the year.’’ He’s calling for “great focus’’ and “no distractions’’ and also “superb effort on the field and in the classroom.’’ He also is insisting on it every minute of every day.
“There’s nobody who can tell me that they can’t do it with this eight-game schedule,’’ Coughlin said.
That eight-game schedule starts today against the Raiders at MetLife Stadium, the start of a rare three-game homestand that will determine if the Giants are in the mix or out to dry in the NFC East. At 2-6, they have virtually no margin for error and, quite frankly, can’t be taken seriously as even a remote contender unless they add on, significantly, to their two-game winning streak.
“It’s gonna be a great story,’’ said linebacker Jon Beason, set to play in his fifth game for the Giants since the trade from the Panthers. “It’s easy to be the guy saying it’s not gonna happen because then you’re a follower, you’re like everybody else. But the person who says, ‘Hey, this can happen,’ or the person who says, ‘This will happen,’ I think is an even better story.’’
A look inside the game:
BEST BATTLE
Raiders LT Khalif Barnes vs. Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul
JPP says he’s at 90 percent following back surgery and the Raiders had better bring their ‘A’ game because he finally is ready to inflict some serious damage. Standing in his way is Barnes, a nine-year veteran who knows all the tricks and has started 95 NFL games in a career split between the Jaguars and Raiders.
AIR SHOW?
Running against the Raiders has been problematic — they are fourth in the NFL in run defense, allowing just 94.6 yards per game. They can be beat through the air (30th in the league in pass defense), and that might be the way the Giants prefer to attack. But any time the Giants have gone full-throttle relying on Eli Manning’s right arm, the interceptions have come in droves.
ANDRE THE GIANT
No one is expecting monster numbers from Andre Brown in his first game of the season. Peyton Hillis figures to get the bulk of the work in the backfield, as Brandon Jacobs (hamstring) is out again. Brown admits he was primed for a big season before breaking his left leg — perhaps too primed.
“I came in with a big head, and that definitely humbled me and brought me back down to earth,’’ Brown said. “In the spring I was, ‘I’m gonna do this … .’ It was God’s plan to be like ‘Calm down, chill out.’ ’’
EARLY RISERS
The Raiders tried to mitigate the effects of jet lag by arriving Friday to the East Coast, nevertheless, a 1 p.m. kickoff will feel like a 10 a.m. start for the Silver and Black.
“I try not to pay too much attention to that,’’ Raiders second-year coach Dennis Allen said. “I don’t like to build in any type of excuses.’’
The Raiders since 2008 are 1-11 playing on the East Coast, so whatever they’ve attempted to ease the after-effects of the time change hasn’t worked.
VICTOR-Y SUNDAY
It is news when Victor Cruz misses so much as a practice, which he did this week because of a stiff neck. He’s been the most consistent player on the team, and even with his exploits the passing attack has been shaky. Opponents aren’t dumb, and it has been impossible not to notice, as Cruz says, “a lot less man coverage, a lot more defensive people in my area, some guy to bump me off my route in the beginning, maybe two guys running with me the whole play, maybe just zone coverage and bracketing me on my side.’’
This is the next barrier for Cruz, learning how to thrive as a marked man.
“It reminds me of the old Plaxico Burress, the old Steve Smith at the height of their careers with us, and that’s what he’s getting,’’ offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said.
NO MARGIN
Can the Giants handle the pressure? They’ve had a week to sit back and relax and realize their next loss could turn the remainder of the season into a look-ahead to 2014.
“We can’t afford another loss going forward at all,” defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka said. “We have to prepare for every game as though it’s our Super Bowl, because that’s the position we’ve put ourselves in.’’
It’s a tough position to be in.
“Every game is a must-win game for us, so that’s going to be our mentality — win at all costs,’’ Antrel Rolle said. “Not every win is going to be the way you expected it to be, not every battle is going to be the way you expected it to be, but you just have to go out there and win at any costs.’’
WEAK WEEK
The quickest way to get beat is to assume what happened last week will happen again, just because. There’s no doubt the Raiders are coming off a game in which they got torched by the Eagles, as Nick Foles matched an NFL record by throwing seven touchdown passes in a 49-20 rout in Oakland. Before that, though, the Raiders were more than respectable on defense, limiting the Colts to 21 points, the Chargers to 17 points and the Steelers to 18.
“It’s a team we haven’t played in a long time,’’ Manning said of the Raiders, a team he has played only twice in his career, most recently in 2009. “They’ve played very good defense for six of the games. Obviously last week was a little tough, but besides that, not many teams have scored over 20 points on them.’’
NUMBERS TO KNOW
68.7
The average completion percentage the Raiders allow opposing quarterbacks — worst in the league. The NFL average is 61.5.
560
Total yards Raiders amassed in 4920 loss to the Eagles last week — the third highest total in franchise history and their most yards in a game in 45 years.
7
Different starting running backs used this season by the Giants. If Andre Brown starts a game this season, he will be the eighth.
PAUL’S PICK
Hard to tell if the Giants finally are finding themselves, and the full answer might not come in this game. This should be a good chance for Eli Manning to dust off his long-range passing game, but with rewards come risks. As long as Terrelle Pryor has to put drives together without any huge plays, the defense should be fine.
GIANTS 27, RAIDERS 16