There are no moral victories in the NFL, right?
Well, maybe the New York Giants can make an exception Thursday night against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
The reigning Super Bowl champions are huge favorites in Week 6, which is a product of several factors: The Patriots are good. the Giants are bad, New York is dealing with a bunch of injuries on the offensive side and the game is being played in Foxboro.
Yikes.
It’ll be shocking if the Giants keep things close, let alone win, and Max Kellerman therefore tempered his expectations for New York rookie quarterback Daniel Jones when breaking down the matchup on Thursday’s episode of “First Take” on ESPN.
“Listen to me very carefully. If he doesn’t fumble the ball — he can throw interceptions, I’m alright with that, because they’re gonna be all over him, everyone’s gonna be covered. If he doesn’t fumble the ball, that’s all I care about,” Kellerman said. “That’s a win for me.
“Do you understand the Giants, who were bad when everyone was healthy, have no one healthy? The running back’s not healthy. The backup running back’s not healthy. Their best receiver, who’s a tight end, is not healthy. Their other best receiver’s not healthy. Their very best receiver’s not on the team anymore. Their linebacking corps, their best linebacker’s gone. They can’t cover anyone down the field. And they’re going up against Bill Belichick at Foxboro on a short week? Just don’t fumble the ball. That’s all I care. You could throw five interceptions. If Daniel Jones doesn’t fumble the ball, that’s a win.”
Jones, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, has fumbled three times in four career NFL games. He’s gone back-to-back games without fumbling, though, so perhaps there’s hope for the first-year signal-caller to make good on Kellerman’s request.
That said, it’ll be a tall task, as the Patriots’ defense has been utterly dominant this season and the Giants will be without Saquon Barkley, Wayne Gallman, Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram on Thursday. All signs point toward the game being a bloodbath.
