Packers versus Giants: The official Week 5 prediction
By Tim Muma
Despite ranking 6th in yards per game, the Giants have scored the 6th-fewest points in the NFL. The Packers hope the points trend continues.
Through four games, the Giants’ offense is averaging 382.2 yards of total offense. Of the eight teams putting up more than 375 yards per game, New York is the only team scoring less than 23 points a contest.
Their 18.3 average even puts them below the winless Cleveland Browns and the 1-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in points scored.
In fact, the Giants have posted more than 20 points in only one of their contests. That was a 29-27 home loss to the Washington Redskins.
The Giants have scored a touchdown on just 46 percent of their trips inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. That puts them 28th out of 32 teams…
The passing game has been among the best – at least in terms of yards. Manning ranks 5th among QBs at 296.5 passing yards per game.
Yet, he sits near the bottom of the NFL in touchdown passes with four, which is offset by his four interceptions as well. The latter statistic has been part of the Giants’ problem.
They have nine total turnovers this season, tied for 5th-most in football. Those four picks and five lost fumbles have cost them a number of points on the board.
Meanwhile, the other big issue has been finding pay dirt once they get into the red zone.
The Giants have scored a touchdown on just 46 percent of their trips inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. That puts them 28th out of 32 teams and one of only five clubs below 50 percent.
Turning those field goals into seven points will be a huge key come Sunday.