The New York Giants vs. Los Angeles Chargers game on Sunday won’t draw the eyes of an entire nation through its brilliance, but there are storylines for both teams that could bring some interest. Justin Herbert no longer has a realistic shot at the MVP award (+1800), but he’s still looking like one of the future faces of the league. And the Chargers aren’t out of the AFC West running just yet.
New York Giants vs. Los Angeles Chargers Storylines
The Chargers and Giants have many storylines going into this game.
The injury to Daniel Jones — on top of his play since he was drafted — places his future with the Giants into question. Additionally, the futures of head coach Joe Judge and general manager Dave Gettleman ar are unstable at best.
The Chargers have only won three of their last seven games, and their defense has fallen apart in that time. But they’re still just one game behind the Chiefs in the division. Could they turn the defense around enough late in the season to make a run?
They certainly have the quarterback talent with Herbert to do so.
Will Joe Judge/Dave Gettleman return in 2022?
Only the Jets, Jaguars, and Lions have worse records since Gettleman joined the Giants. He’s butchered the one big plan he had for the team, which was to build from the inside out.
Gettleman destroyed this offensive line. From missing on Will Hernandez to drafting Andrew Thomas over Tristan Wirfs and Jedrick Wills to paying Nate Solder massive sums of money, it’s been an abject disaster.
[bet-bonus id=”164810″ ]Also, although Azeez Ojulari appears to be a solid pass rusher, Gettleman has never found consistent production on the edge in his four seasons with the team.
If Judge ultimately decided on the hiring of Jason Garrett, that alone is a fireable offense. However, his departure would simply be because the new GM would like to have his own guy at the helm.
Will Daniel Jones play for the Giants again?
Another fallout from the potential general manager/head coach change in New York could be the departure of Jones. He will undoubtedly see teams express interest in him as a reclamation project, much like Sam Darnold or Ryan Tannehill.
There’s no debating that Jones’ situation was less than ideal. Sure, the Giants threw weapons at the problem, but they were a schematic mess under Garrett and never had an offensive line in his three years under center.
The neck injury he sustained has become worrisome — or at least, the reporting around it has. He’s been a limited practice participant, but the phrases “season-ending” and “career-threatening” have also been thrown out. Judge seems to answer these questions satisfactorily, saying the Giants are simply being conservative with Jones because of the nature of neck injuries.
At this point, I don’t expect Jones to return unless he’s 100% back to normal. If there’s no shot of that, they’ll shut him down. However, that will also undoubtedly affect his trade value, which I’m sure the Giants would hate to deal with should they attempt to shop him.
Chargers can still make a run at the AFC West
The Chargers are only a game back from the Kansas City Chiefs, and they already hold a head-to-head win over the Chiefs. They’ll face one another on Thursday Night Football in Kansas City, which is an unfortunate development for the Chargers.
Playing on four days of rest is never easy. Playing in Arrowhead in prime time on short rest is a drag. But if they win that game, they’ll be in control of their own destiny. They’ll finish up with the Texans, Broncos, and Raiders.
The Chargers had a stretch in the middle of the season where they struggled mightily to defend the run. Suppose they can continue to play with improved gap discipline from their two-high shell. In that case, they’ll have an excellent chance to compete against Kansas City, which has struggled to run against light boxes in 2021 and has failed to generate explosive plays from their short/quick passing attack.
But they must find some consistency down the stretch, which we haven’t seen since the beginning of the season.
New York Giants vs. Los Angeles Chargers game prediction and betting odds
- Spread: Chargers -9.5 (Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Moneyline: Chargers -425, Giants +320
- Total: 43
The Chargers are young and inconsistent, so I’m not sure they’ll come out and dominate this game, as they perhaps should on paper. However, it would behoove them to jump out and maintain a lead so they can possibly rest some of their high-profile starters late in the game. Taking even a bit of wear off them can help for next Thursday.
Giants vs. Chargers Prediction: Chargers 28, Giants 17