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10 Things To Watch For

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10 things to watch in Giants vs. Rams

10THINGS-RAMS-GRAPHIC

Series History

The teams last met Nov. 5, 2017, when the Rams ended the Giants' seven-game winning streak in the series; they had defeated the Rams in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2016, a stretch of success that immediately followed five consecutive Rams victories in the series. Overall, the Giants are 16-26 against the Rams in the regular season and 1-1 in the postseason.

Last Time Out

The 49ers scored 10 points on the Giants in the final 67 seconds of the first half last week, turning a 6-6 tie on its head. San Francisco took a 16-6 lead into the locker room, and the Giants eventually lost the game, 36-9, to drop them to 0-3 on the season. The Rams, meanwhile, lost a 35-32 thriller in Buffalo after winning their first two games.

Back to LA

The Giants will play their first game in Los Angeles in 25 years (nearly 26) when they face the Rams. They last played there on Oct. 16, 1994, when they lost, 17-10, a year before the Rams began their 21-year stay in St. Louis. The Giants were 3-10 in regular-season games and 1-0 in the playoffs in Los Angeles when they Rams were based there from 1946-94.

View rare photos of the history between the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams.

Peppers Ruled Out; Injury Report

Jabrill Peppers has been ruled out of Sunday’s game in Los Angeles against the Rams.

The Giants' strong safety and punt returner was unable to practice this week due to an ankle injury that he suffered early in last Sunday's home game against the San Francisco 49ers. Peppers is also a mainstay on special teams, where he was voted a co-captain. Peppers was injured while attempting to block a field goal last week.

"Any time you have a player of Jabrill's caliber that you have to replace, obviously it's going to take a few guys to replace him, because he did a bunch of different jobs," special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said. "He meant a lot to our football team and he means a lot to our football team. That's why he has a 'C' on his chest. It's hard to replace that guy, but you just do the best you can, and the guys are going to step up. These young guys are going to step up and fill some of those roles and we're going to keep plugging. We'll see what happens. Those young guys will step up and they will do a good job."

Below is a look at the injury report:

New York Giants

  • Out: S Jabrill Peppers (ankle)
  • Questionable: DB Julian Love (knee/ankle)

Los Angeles Rams

  • Out: RB Cam Akers (ribs)
  • Questionable: S Jordan Fuller (shoulder)

Turning the Page

Daniel Jones will make his 16th career start on Sunday. In his first 15 starts, he threw 16 interceptions and lost 13 fumbles. Six of those turnovers came in the first three games of this season, but there has been no common denominator, according to offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who knows there is a fine line between ball security and not being aggressive enough.

"I think if you look at the turnovers this year, they've happened in different ways. Sometimes it's been a sack in the pocket, it's been a pitch on an around play, it might be a fumble here, an interception there for different reasons," said Garrett, a former quarterback. "I think if you look back at last year, you'd probably see them the same way. I've been around young players before, we've had issues turning the ball over. You just keep emphasizing it and you keep trying to put them in an environment where the ball is not at risk. Having said that, when you play that position, you have to make plays in this league, too. You're always balancing those things. We never want to take the edge or the stinger off the player. But at the same time, I've seen it done where you can make plays and also take care of the football. That's what we're striving for with him and for everybody on our team."

When Jones finds that balance, Rams coach and offensive architect Sean McVay knows how good he can be.

"I think it's a such a difficult league week in and week out. I remember the first real exposure I had to Daniel was when we crossed over when [the Giants] beat the Bucs last year when we were getting ready for them in Week 4," McVay said. "Man, did he play really well. I was so impressed with his poise, his ability to make plays down the stretch, his ability to extend plays, the athleticism. You see it with a couple of zone reads that he had the other day. I've also been impressed with his ability to just show the athleticism by keeping plays alive in the pocket, out of the pocket. Coach Garrett always does a nice job of being able to accentuate guys skill sets – I think this a part of the league as a quarterback. But Daniel has a really bright future and I've seen enough film of him to feel pretty strongly about that."

As good as advertised

James Bradberry has been everything the Giants hoped he would be when they made him one of their marquee offseason acquisitions last March. The Giants' cornerback has broken up nine passes, which are four more than anyone else in the NFL.

Money Down

The Rams have a third-down conversion rate of 56.4, second to the Chiefs in the NFL. The Giants have allowed third-down conversions 58.1 percent of the time, the highest rate in the league. On the flip side, the Giants' defense has excelled on first down. They have allowed four or more yards on first down just 29.4 percent of the time, by far the best rate in the NFL. The Jets are second at 40.0 percent. Giants opponents have an average of 9.06 yards to go on second down, the third-best mark in the league. Pittsburgh is the best (9.25 yards), followed by Washington (9.08). Meanwhile, the Rams' offense averages a league-high 7.55 yards per play on first down.

Ground Game

Daniel Jones has rushed for 92 yards this season. The rest of the Giants have gained 78 yards on the ground. The Rams have allowed 119.3 rushing yards per game.

Party Crasher

Six Pro Bowls. Five All-Pro selections. Two NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards. It's Aaron Donald's party, and opponents will cry if they want to. The Rams' defensive tackle has 75 sacks in 97 career games and, in the words of Joe Judge, can "really ruin your birthday party in a hurry."

"They do a great job of going out there and doing what they do," Judge said of the Rams' defense under coordinator Brandon Staley. "They disguise defenses very well. They start with disruption up front. They have good defensive backs who do a great job in space of tackling and eliminating explosive plays. These guys are really a team that make you click it down the field and turn the sticks over drive by drive. They don't give up a lot of big plays. Obviously, it all starts with (No.) 99, Aaron Donald."

Crucial Catch

For the 12th consecutive season, the National Football League and the American Cancer Society are working together to support the fight against cancer through "Crucial Catch:Intercept Cancer."The initiative, which kicks off in stadiums today and continues to be highlighted through Week 6 games, addresses early detection, getting screened, and risk reduction efforts across multiple types of cancers. This year specifically,Crucial Catchwill be a part of the League'sIt Takes All of Us brand campaign, which highlights the importance of everyone joining together to make a difference in the lives of others.

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