Sep 14, 2007, 18:08 GMT
- The New York Giants are trying to solve the mystery that is Eli Manning's shoulder. With or without its starting quarterback, New York will try for its first win of the season on Sunday in its home opener against the Green Bay Packers at Giants Stadium.
The Giants fell to the Cowboys, 45-35, last Sunday night in Dallas, but lost more than the game. Starting running back Brandon Jacobs and defensive end Osi Umenyiora both left the contest with knee injuries and did not return.
Jacobs will miss up to a month with a MCL sprain of his right knee, while Umenyiora is unlikely to play on Sunday with his ailment. So is corner Kevin Dockery, who suffered an ankle injury in last week's loss.
However, the most pressing injury is that to Manning's right shoulder, not only because he is the club's starting quarterback, but because of the varying reports of the injury's severity.
Manning hurt himself in the fourth quarter of the Dallas game and did not return to the contest. Following reports had the setback keeping Manning out for about a month as the Giants scheduled an MRI for Monday.
The procedure revealed a contusion to the AC joint in the quarterback's right shoulder and he is considered day-to-day. However, Manning did not practice and is officially listed as questionable to start Sunday's matchup.
If the former No. 1 overall pick can't go in the game, New York head coach Tom Coughlin, who served as Green Bay's wide receivers coach from 1986-87, will send out Jared Lorenzen for his first career start.
New York will be trying to avoid its first 0-2 start since beginning the 1996 season with three straight defeats.
Green Bay, meanwhile, will shoot for back-to-back victories to begin a season for the first time since 2001, when the club ripped off three consecutive wins to start the campaign.
The Packers come into this contest after a 'special' 16-13 last-second victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at home on Sunday. The victory was Green Bay's fifth in a row dating back to last year's regular season.
Green Bay's special teams unit accounted for all 16 points in the contest, as rookie kicker Mason Crosby made all three of his field goal attempts and became the first player in NFL history to boot a field goal of 50 or more yards plus a game-winning kick in the final minute of his first NFL game.
The Packers' lone touchdown of the game came on a fumble recovery in the end zone by Green Bay's coverage team after the Eagles muffed a punt catch attempt in their own territory.
Green Bay's offense struggled in the game and was held out of the end zone. The unit obviously missed running back Vernand Morency (knee) and Greg Jennings (hamstring), who were both inactive for the game.
The victory was Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre's 148th of his career, matching Hall of Famer John Elway for the most in NFL history. Favre will try to break that mark when he makes his league-record 239th consecutive start on Sunday.
SERIES HISTORY
The Packers hold a 24-21-2 series lead over the Giants in a series that dates back to 1928, but was a 14-7 road loser in the last such meeting during the 2004 campaign. Green Bay had won the three most recent matchups, claiming wins in the Meadowlands in 1998 and 2001, as well as a home triumph in 1995.
The clubs have also met five times in the postseason, most recently in 1962, and Green Bay has a 4-1 advantage in that series.
New York head coach Tom Coughlin is 1-2 against the Packers during his career, including 0-2 while with Jacksonville from 1995 to 2002. Green Bay's Mike McCarthy will be meeting both Coughlin and the Giants for the first time as a head coach.
WHEN THE PACKERS HAVE THE BALL
The Packers managed just 215 net yards and 10 first downs in their game against the Eagles. Only 46 of those yards came on the ground, as rookie back Brandon Jackson was thrust into the starting duty in place of Morency, who has been out since the beginning of training camp. Jackson finished with 40 yards on 15 carries. The absence of Jennings could be part of the reason Favre managed to throw for just 206 yards against the Eagles. Without his fellow wideout in the lineup, Donald Driver was held to only six catches for 66 yards. Jackson was the Packers' second-leading receiver with four catches for 35 yards. Ruvell Martin started in Jennings' place and made two catches totaling 14 yards.
Jennings is expected to be back in the lineup this Sunday, while Morency's return is questionable.
If last week's performance by the Giants' defense against the Cowboys is any indication, Favre will have a lot more room to work with this weekend as he attempts to inch closer to Dan Marino's record of 420 touchdown passes. New York allowed Dallas to pile up 478 total net yards, while Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo threw for 345 yards. Dallas also totaled 142 yards on the ground. The loss of Umenyiora and defensive back Dockery certainly won't help, though the club still has veteran end Michael Strahan (5 tackles in Week 1) in the mix. Also, having Jennings and Driver, who's been dealing with a sprained foot, slowed will benefit corners R.W. McQuarters and Corey Webster as well as safety Gibril Wilson (8 tackles, 1 INT), who tied for the team lead in tackles last week with middle linebacker Antonio Pierce.
WHEN THE GIANTS HAVE THE BALL
Manning was putting together one of the best performances of his career before his injury last week. He threw for 312 yards and matched a career high with four touchdown passes, and now has thrown for a score in 31 of his past 34 starts. If Manning can't go, the start will go to Lorenzen, who completed one of his three passes for seven yards on Sunday. Those were the first three pass attempts of the undrafted free agent's career. The 285-pounder was inactive all of 2005 as New York's third quarterback and appeared in two games last year without attempting a pass.
Having wide receiver Plaxico Burress to throw to will surely help Lorenzen if he is pressed into action. Burress had an outstanding game for the Giants last Sunday, hauling in a career-best three TD passes to go along with 144 yards receiving. Amani Toomer (91 receiving yards) led the club with nine catches, and that duo should team with tight end Jeremy Shockey (5 receptions, 41 yards) to put Green Bay's secondary to the test. Derrick Ward replaced Jacobs in the game and rushed for a career-high 89 yards on 13 carries. He also hauled in a touchdown pass in the loss and should get the bulk of the carries this weekend, with Reuben Droughns probably staying at the fullback spot.
While Green Bay's offense failed to get anything going last weekend, its defense kept the club in the game. The unit held Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb to 184 yards passing and the Philadelphia offense to 283 total yards. Linebacker Nick Barnett (13 tackles, 1 INT) was all over the field, while defensive tackle Corey Williams had the only Green Bay sack. Defensive end Aaron Kampman, who led the NFC with 15 1/2 sacks last year, failed to get to the quarterback but did finish with six total tackles.
The Packers did deal with an injury to one of their veteran defenders against the Eagles, though. Cornerback Al Harris hyperextended his right elbow while blocking on a punt return in the first quarter. He briefly left the game, but returned with his elbow taped and played the rest of the way. Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said he is confident Harris will be ready to go this weekend, however.
FANTASY FOCUS
For the Giants, Manning is likely to be a game-time decision barring any setbacks later in the week and is an extremely risky fantasy start. If Manning doesn't go, Burress and Shockey's values drop as well, so if you own any of those players you are going to have to pay attention to the injury report through Sunday. Favre didn't put up great numbers last week, but does have potential this Sunday, given how many yards and points the Giants defense allowed last week. Even if he's not at 100 percent, Driver is a must-start, as he is Favre's favorite target and will see even more action if Jennings is again slowed. Both New York's Ward and Green Bay's Jackson are worth starting in deep leagues.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
A week ago, the Giants would have been the hands-down favorite to take this game. However, the vast number of injuries they have suffered, especially in regards to Manning, now makes this a tough game to call. The Packers defense more than held its own against a high-powered Philadelphia offense, while the Giants were lit up by the Cowboys. That being said, New York does get to return to its friendly home stadium. However, I'll take a healthy Favre over a banged-up Manning any day of the week, and the legendary Packer quarterback should be able to put up some points against a scrambling Giants team. In the end, the Packers become the surprising 2-0 team in the NFL, while the Giants will be left wondering how they can recover.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Packers 21, Giants 20
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