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Time has a strange way of bringing balance to the universe, and that phenomenon is manifesting itself in the NFL this season. Take this weekend’s upcoming matchup pitting the winless New York Giants against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, for example. Has there been an odder football-related thought formulated within your cerebral cortex than the one I typed prior to this sentence? Winless Giants? Undefeated Chiefs? I know this will only be Week 4, but to put this Chiefs’ current record into perspective, the last time Kansas City was making this kind of noise this early in the season, a man named Marty Schottenheimer was roaming the sidelines. The Giants, by contrast, have one two Super Bowls in recent memory and have been a NFC East powerhouse for the better part of 15 years. But time appears to have caught up with the Boys in Blue.
The Chiefs hang their hats on a defensive front that has all the sympathetic tendencies of a rabid coyote. Ironically, defense was once something the New York Giants were known for, but not this season. They are currently ranked last in the NFL in total points allowed. Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ defense is ranked second over all in total points allowed. The Giants may run on Dunkin Donuts, but their offense runs on Eli Manning. Normally, that’s not a bad thing at all.
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However, Manning has struggled mightily over the past three weeks. Though he’s completing nearly 60 percent of his passes, Manning’s passer rating is a dreadful 70.5; he has thrown eight interceptions and has been sacked 11 times on top of that. To put that into perspective, last year, Manning threw 15 picks, had a rating of 87.2 and was sacked 19 times the entire season. Teams are teeing off on him, and if his O-line doesn’t wake up soon, Manning might finish the season on injured reserve.
The Giants have to figure out a way to get their stalled running game going as well. They’re currently ranked last in the league in total rushing yards. The outside threats of Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks have been somewhat neutralized by the the offensive line’s inability to keep Manning upright. I don’t care if you’re Brett Favre adorned in medieval armor, any quarterback that’s sacked that many times starts getting shell shocked.
The KC offense has been nothing spectacular with Alex Smith at the helm, but they have been efficient and have taken care of the ball. Smith has been running the ball more and currently has 114 yards in only three games, and is poised to break his personal best mark of 179 rushing yards accumulated in 2011. The KC rushing attack has been a lighthouse in a sea of defeat for years, but now RB Jamaal Charles‘ talents are no longer being wasted on a losing team. The fact that WR Dwayne Bowe hasn’t done much of anything this season gives Chiefs fans something to look forward to. Andy Reid seems to have all the right answers so far this season, and Tom Coughlin‘s Giants can’t seem to get out of their own way.
The Giants are about to drop to 0-4 for the first time in recent memory in a close one. Chiefs win 14-13.
Ricardo Hazell is a freelance writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @NikosMightyDad or add him to your network on Google.
