Giants vs Falcons: Week 16 Preview

In what feels like the longest end to a season ever, the Giants head south to the peach state for a matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. Although I'm pulling for the quarterback of the future in the 2025 draft, it'd be nice to win one for the first time in over two months.

After a drubbing at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens last week, the Giants get to take on another team inspired by a majestic flying creature in the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons took on the Raiders on Monday night football in week 15 and just squeaked by to the tune of an ugly 15-9 win. Kirk Cousins has had a season to forget having thrown a league leading 16 interceptions, but the Falcons are only a game behind Tampa Bay in the NFC South standings. For the second straight week, they get to matchup with a two-win team ready to turn the page on 2024.

I'm going to address the elephant in the room head on, but the Giants should have let Tim Boyle start this game. The journeyman, who came into last week's game with a 4-12 TD:INT ratio before being thrust into action, had himself a few nice throws against the Ravens after Tommy DeVito suffered a concussion. So why not go with the hot hand, let him have his five minutes of fame and try to win a game before the season wraps? Hey, isn't the NFL all about giving the rock to the hot hand? I guess the Giants think Drew Lock gives them a better chance to pull off the upset in this one.

Week 16 is here and the regular season is almost behind us, let's rock-and-roll and see if the Giants can pull a rabbit out of a hat and make some noise.

QB carousel keeps spinning

*whispers* Tim Boyle

Did anyone else hear that gust of wind reference what might have been an urban legend prior to last week's game? Did Tim Boyle just earn reps as the starting quarterback after last week's performance? Man, I must be losing it or maybe it's that New York city cold throwing me for a loop.

The man that was added to the active roster in late November after the Giants cut Daniel Jones received a fair share of reps in the second half of last week's game. Courtesy of the awesome folks at Big Blue View, Boyle had never thrown to any of the Giants receivers in a live game before so he literally had to learn their tendencies when he took the field. He hadn't had enough time to convalesce with the wider team prior to the moment he was thrust into action and he probably still didn't know who Wan'Dale Robinson was (kidding of course). That is classic Giants though, throwing a guy to the wolves after your second and third string quarterbacks can't go in a meaningless game and hoping he figures out how to move the ball down the field on third and fifteen in the fourth quarter. I can't wait for the Talkin Giants trivia question a few years from now on who played quarterback for the Giants during the 2024 season.

As the above headline foreshadowed, the Giants quarterback carousel was put on display yet again in week 15. The next, next, next man up was Tim Boyle and he was not great by any means but he had a few fun throws that illicted cheers from the half-empty crowd at MetLife in the second half. That is something fans haven't been able to experience, especially when Daniel Jones was still in New York. This ball that Malik Nabers caught for a touchdown was perfectly placed and not something I have seen Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito do at any point this year. Boyle ended the day 12-24, with 123 yards and one touchdown to one interception.

Boyle senses the pressure and tosses it up to Nabers in the slot at the top of the screen

Heading into week 16, coach Brian Daboll is settled on penciling Drew Lock back into the starting lineup. That means Boyle will most likely be quarterback number three behind Tommy DeVito given DeVito is now out of concussion protocol. This all but wraps up Boyle's reps in live-game action in 2024. It was a fun run Tim, and that half of football you played last week will be something you tell your grandkids about 50 years from now. I find it fun during lost seasons like these when there is that moment no one could have predicted in a million years. That moment was Tim Boyle getting meaningful game reps for the 2-12 New York football Giants.

Come game time though, the Giants will need to get their passing game back on track with Lock who has been an inconsistent presence under center this year. Lock has been a disappointment this year having started just two games while dealing with a litany of injuries. He brings 414 passing yards and zero passing touchdowns with him into this game. However, there is a glimmer of hope as the Falcons secondary is allowing the ninth most yards to opposing quarterbacks this season.

Where has my defense gone

Broken, shattered, living on a prayer. Okay Bon Jovi.

The defense has seen much better days, and lately, they continue to be a sight for sore eyes. Shane Bowen is basically running guys on the field that they picked up off of the street.

I think along with the quarterback position the Giants cornerback room has been one of the glaring weaknesses of the team in 2024. Tae Banks missed his third game in a row with an injury and has taken a massive step back in his sophomore year while Joe Schoen still has not figured out how to field respectable talent opposite Banks at the CB2 spot. Cor'Dale Flott is not a starting corner and is a depth piece at most, Adoree Jackson only really started getting more reps over the last three weeks and Dru Phillips is injured. No wonder they have held just one team under 20 points since week 6.

The run defense let Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson combine for 132 yards on the ground last week. They will now need to worry about Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier who have the ability to eat their lunch! Atlanta is generating 124.2 rushing yards per game, good for 12th best in the league this year. They like to lean on the run where they can given Kirk Cousins had been such an inefficient passer for them this year. Now that Cousins is out and Michael Penix is making the first start of his career, that might change the focus of the defense heading into this week's game. Stopping the run is paramount, but a fresh arm is stepping in and can be a cause for chaos.

As mentioned, Penix will be making his first NFL start for the Falcons. The Giants need to take advantage of his inexperience and force him into discomfort with their pass rush. For that to happen, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux need to show up. They need to prove their leadership qualities on this team and make some plays on the quarterback. Burns has now registered two sacks in his last two games putting him at eight for the year which is right on par with his career average (nine per season). Thibodeaux on the other hand has just one sack since October and three in total on the season. I realize he was out with an injury for a bit but there are games where he seems to go invisible and where it feels like he isn't even there.

Read this piece on the defense from The Post after last week's game and let it speak for itself.

In conclusion

The Falcons are trying to keep their playoff hopes alive and will not be taking their foot off the gas pedal this week. Penix being named the starter undoubtedly jolted the locker room a bit and was a much needed change given the inconsistencies from Kirk Cousins under center this year. The Giants will need to combat this with pressure on the quarterback throughout the game. They will need to make Penix beat them through the air and taking away time to throw should be a key focus for Shane Bowen this week.

I'm not sure how this one plays out, it's the NFL and upsets happen all the time. I truly see the potential for a Giants upset here even though they are the worst team in the league at the moment. Again, the Falcons played down to an opponent in the Raiders who are at the Giants level last week. Will they learn from it or let the Giants stay in the ball game?

We'll see if the Giants can play the spoil game in a hostile Atlanta environment this afternoon.