An inside look at Sunday’s Giants-Packers matchup at MetLife Stadium.
Packers WRs Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed vs. Giants CBs Deonte Banks and Adoree’ Jackson
Quietly, the Packers have assembled a potent long-distance passing attack.
They are tied for fourth in the league with 28 receptions of 25 or more yards.
They have at least five explosive pass plays (16 or more yards) in seven consecutive games.
Doubs has a team-high seven touchdowns and Reed, with five TDs, is putting together a strong rookie year.
Packers QB Jordan Love is not afraid to air it out several times a game.
Banks has not missed a thing in his rookie season and shows no sign of hitting a first-year wall.
The Giants catch a break, as Christian Watson, averaging 15.1 yards a reception, is out with a hamstring injury.
Easy does it: Did you notice how Tommy DeVito low-keyed it early in the week after Brian Daboll announced that DeVito would get another start even though veteran Tyrod Taylor was ready to play after a stay on injured reserve with four broken ribs?
DeVito has a big personality but he did not let it out that day, cognizant that Taylor was extremely disappointed and it was not appropriate to make it about himself.
DeVito gets it.
Later in the week, DeVito could be seen hanging on the other side of the locker room where many of the young defensive backs were situated, engaged in conversation with rookie Deonte Banks.
There is a reason why the 25-year old, undrafted quarterback is so popular with his teammates.
Cue the lights: Perhaps the Giants should send out a disclaimer before kickoff saying something like “Viewing us in evening action could be hazardous to your health.’’
This is the fifth and, thankfully, the final prime-time game of the season for the Giants.
They are 0-4, outscored 108-24.
The national audience has probably seen enough of them.
If this grates on the players they are keeping it well-hidden. “It’s like saying ‘Oh, look how the other Sundays went.’ ’’ Dexter Lawrence told The Post. “At the end of the day you got to go play football and do your best to win. Prime time is prime time, like Friday night lights in high school. Just go have fun and do your job as best as you can.’’
’Tis the season: It seemed as if Matt LaFleur’s incredible December winning streak would be endangered when the Chiefs visited Green Bay in Week 13.
Not so.
The Packers handled the tough assignment and knocked off the defending Super Bowl champs 27-19 and LaFleur’s unblemished December record remained intact.
He is now 16-0 in his favorite month.
The guy knows something about winning time late in the season.
The streak of 16 consecutive wins in December is the second-longest in NFL history.
The Chargers won 18 straight from 2006-09.
Break time’s over: There is a sense of anticipation whenever a team comes off its bye week.
Did the coaching staff do a deep-dive, were there corrections made and might we see an upgraded product in the first game back?
The Giants after 12 games were 31st in the league in scoring at 13.3 points a game.
“That time during the bye week is invaluable for the staff … to kind of go back and look at some of the things that we can improve on,’’ offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. “And we did that with not just the quarterback position but every position in our unit as a group, how we can improve in the run game, the pass game, all those kinds of areas.’’
Once more into the breach for the Giants in prime time.
Can the fifth time be the charm?
Tommy DeVito needs to continue to protect the ball and it would be helpful if Saquon Barkley is a force.
Jordan Love has not thrown an interception in Green Bay’s three-game winning streak and faces a defense that has six of them in the last two games.
Packers 27, Giants 16.