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10 Things To Watch For

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10 things to watch in Giants vs. Chiefs

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'THIS HOME OPENER MEANS A LOT'

Last week's game in Dallas was one of the crazier games in Giants history. There were six lead changes in the fourth quarter and overtime, tied for the most in a game in NFL history. There were 41 points scored in the fourth quarter, 24 of which came within the final three minutes. A 64-yard Branon Aubrey field goal at the end of regulation forced overtime, and a 46-yard field goal as time expired in the extra period led to a 40-37 victory for the Cowboys.

The loss dropped the Giants to 0-2 on the season, a hole they will look to climb out of this Sunday when they take the field at MetLife Stadium in front of Giants fans for the first time this season.

"This home opener means a lot," quarterback Russell Wilson said on Wednesday. "A lot for a lot of reasons. First of all, to be in front of our fans, they travel well. The past two games we've had some really tough, close games. Obviously, the last game, when we came back at the touchdown two minutes ago and came back again 30, 25 seconds to go, whatever it was. You could feel the energy of our crowd and our fans. It was electric, even on the road.

"To come here and play at home in front of them, we can't wait for that experience. We know that it's going to be a special night. We're looking forward to that. At the same time, too, it's ball. We've got to be in the moment of playing the game."

ALL-TIME SERIES

The New York Giants (0-2) will host the Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) for their 2025 home opener on Sunday, Sept. 21, at MetLife Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8:20 pm on NBC.

Sunday's game marks the 16th all-time meeting between the Giants and the Chiefs. The Giants lead the series, 11-4, and are undefeated at home (7-0).

The teams last met in Week 8 of the 2021 season in Kansas City, when the Giants lost by a score of 20-17.

This will be Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes' first game against the Giants in East Rutherford.

See the top photos from practice as the Giants prepare for their Week 3 matchup against the Chiefs.

INJURY REPORT

Giants

Out: LB Darius Muasau (Concussion/Eye)

Doubtful: LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (Calf), DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Foot)

Questionable: DL Chauncey Colston (Ankle), WR Gunner Olszewski (Back), OT Andrew Thomas (Foot)

Chiefs

Out: DE Mike Danna (Quad), CB Kristian Fulton (Ankle)

Questionable: WR Jalen Royals (Knee), WR Xavier Worthy (Shoulder)

HOW TO WATCH, LISTEN, & STREAM

TV

Channel: NBC | Peacock

Announcers: Mike Tirico (Play-By-Play), Cris Collinsworth (Analyst), and Melissa Stark (Sideline)

Stream

This week's game can be streamed on NFL+.

Radio

Channel: WFAN 101.9FM /660AM

Announcers: Bob Papa (Play-by-Play), Carl Banks (Analyst), Howard Cross (Sideline)

Pre- and Postgame: John Schmeelk, Tiki Barber

Pregame: Giants Gameday begins at 6:20 PM, presented by Hackensack Meridian Health.

Postgame: Giants Extra Point

THE DEEP BALL

Coming into the season, it was widely known that the deep ball was one of the biggest strengths to Russell Wilson's game. His famous moon ball was something we've seen a lot in recent years, and while it did not show up in the season opener, there were plenty of them this past weekend. Wilson completed seven of 11 passes 20+ yards down the field for 264 yards and all three of his touchdowns. The yardage was the most deep pass yards in a game by any quarterback since at least 2016.

Wide receivers Malik Nabers (nine catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns) and Wan'Dale Robinson (eight receptions for 142 yards and one touchdown) were the biggest beneficiaries of Wilson's deep passes. But it was a collective effort, as assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka pointed out on Thursday, which began with the protection up front.

"I think it started up front," Kafka said. "O-Line did a heck of a job protecting. Russ, obviously, having confidence in the guys going down field and winning and making those plays. I mean, some of those contested catches, whether it was Leek with the guy kind of hanging on top of him. Just really aggressive to the football, just did a really nice job making those plays. And we're going to need those. Those are obviously big plays, scoring opportunities, so they capitalized on them."

GETTING AFTER MAHOMES

After facing off against Jayden Daniels and Dak Prescott in the first two games of the season, the Giants have yet another daunting matchup on the horizon. Although his numbers have not been lighting up the box score through two games, Mahomes is still one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, if not the very best. Mahomes has only completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 445 yards, two touchdowns and one interception thus far, but he's made up for the lack of production in the passing game by using his legs. The veteran quarterback has already rushed for 123 yards on 13 carries (9.5 avg.) and scored twice on the ground, which puts him on pace to shatter his previous career-highs in just about every rushing category.

Getting pressure on Mahomes is the most productive way to affect the talented quarterback in a meaningful way. The signal-caller has completed just six of 18 passes for 85 yards, one touchdown and one interception this year when blitzed, with his 44.9 passer rating against the blitz ranking as the fourth-lowest in the NFL and his 33.3 completion percentage ranking as the second-lowest. But getting pressure on Mahomes is easier said than done, as the quarterback has had an average time to throw of 2.47 seconds this season, which is the second-quickest in the NFL and the quickest of his career. However, he has just a 39.0 percent success rate on passes under 2.5 seconds, the fourth-lowest in the league.

FACING OFF AGAINST SPAGS

The Giants' offense will be going up against a familiar face on Sunday night as Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo makes his return to MetLife Stadium. Spagnuolo served as the defensive coordinator for the Giants in 2007, when the team made the epic run to a Super Bowl XLII championship, and 2008 before returning in the same role from 2015-17. He went on to call the Kansas City defense starting in 2019, where he has played a major role in the Chiefs making five Super Bowls, three of which they won.

The Chiefs' defense has had mixed results through two weeks. They allowed 27 points to the Chargers in the season opener before holding the Eagles to just 20 points and under 300 total yards of offense last week. However, this unit is coming off back-to-back campaigns in which they were a top 5 scoring defense. Heading into Sunday's matchup, the Giants know just how tough of a challenge they face in primetime.

"First and foremost, I have very high regard for Spags," assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. "Being with him, I think he's one of the best defensive coordinators in the league. Their staff on defense is phenomenal. They do a hell of a job. They're well-coached.

"I'd say with Spags, the challenges with Spags, and he's going to mix it up. He's always been aggressive, and they have the players to do it. They have smart players. They've returned like 10 out of the 11 starters from the past three years. They have played a lot of football together. They know the ins and outs of that defense. They know the adjustments to it. We're up for a great challenge. So, we're going to have to really be dialed into our protection responsibilities, the run game fits, and then play with great urgency and tempo in and out of the huddle."

"I think Spags is one of the best coaches in the NFL," Wilson added. "He does a tremendous job of how he teaches his guys. The fundamentals of the game, they do a great job disguising, they do a great job."

PLAYER TO WATCH

WR Wan'Dale Robinson – Robinson is coming off the best game of his NFL career after catching eight passes for a career-high 142 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys. Through two games, he is tied with Malik Nabers with a team-leading 14 receptions, while his 18 targets and 197 receiving yards rank second on the team behind Nabers. Robinson is being used down the field more this season than in his first three years, as his 16.1 air yards per target against the Cowboys was 5.6 yards more than any other game in his career. Robinson has established himself as the No. 2 option in the passing game, and now faces a Chiefs defense that has struggled against slot receivers.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

DL Dexter Lawrence vs. C Creed Humphrey – Lawrence has had a quiet start to the season, due largely to the rate of double teams he's faced. He's gone up against two blockers on 60.6 percent of his pass rushes, the fifth-highest rate in the NFL, but could face more one-on-one situations this week because of the matchup. Humphrey is one of the league's top centers, with just one pressure allowed on 90 pass block snaps this season. He surrendered just seven total pressures (zero sacks) on 708 pass block snaps last year.

CHIEF TO WATCH

DL Chris Jones – We're going to stick on the interior of the line as this matchup features perhaps the two top interior defensive linemen in the NFL between Lawrence and Jones. The Chiefs' veteran lineman has been held without a sack and has just four total pressures so far. But make no mistake, Jones is a game-wrecker. He has 31 total sacks over his last three seasons, including two campaigns with double-digit sacks. The Giants' interior offensive line performed better against the Cowboys than in the season opener, and will have to bring their A game for Sunday night's matchup against Jones and the Chiefs.

View rare photos of the history between the New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs ahead of their Week 3 matchup on Sunday Night Football.

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Tickets available for the Giants Women's Tailgate

Join us Sunday, Sept 28 -10am to 12:30 pm at the Ultimate New York Giants Women's Tailgate, an event designed to celebrate and unite the team's loyal fan base.

Enjoy a curated custom merchandise shop, exclusive Kendra Scott activation, tailgate games, giveaways, photo opportunities, live DJ entertainment, and more!

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