KC Chiefs vs. Giants: Are we underestimating New York in Week 8?

The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t in any place to underestimate an opponent. Yes, the Chiefs are highly favored this week over the New York Giants, and the rare victories they have this season have come against the NFC East. That said, the Chiefs have still laid an egg on more weeks than not this season and the Giants have beaten the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints this season, so they’re not without talent or hope.

Heading into the matchup between the two teams in primetime on Monday Night Football, we were curious about the opposing viewpoint for Week 8 as well. Matt Lombardo is FanSided’s NFL insider, host of The Matt Lombardo Show, and editor of GMen HQ, which makes him the ideal person to ask about the state of the Giants coming into this week. Here’s what he had to say about things.

The Giants look like the sort of team that will provide some “fool’s gold” for the Chiefs in terms of looking competitive again, but they’re coming off a win themselves. Are we overlooking the Giants?

I’m not sure what the Chiefs would be overlooking here.

The Giants continue to be besieged by injuries, with Jabrill Peppers landing on injured reserve with a ruptured ACL and high ankle sprain Sunday, in addition to Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard, and Saquon Barkley all facing uphill climbs to make it back in time for Monday night.

Given the Chiefs’ dreadful showing on defense, the Giants should be able to move the football, but this is basically a junior varsity offense at the moment. So, it’s really difficult to envision Daniel Jones being able to outscore Patrick Mahomes and his arsenal of weapons.

This feels more like a “get right” game for the Chiefs than a potential for the Giants to make any sort of statement.

What’s the storyline around Daniel Jones’ development so far after another half-season of experience?

Jones’ development has been the biggest storyline for the Giants so far.

Behind an offensive line that has just one of its four Week 1 starters still healthy, and without the vast majority of his weapons, Jones has emerged as a leader of this offense thanks to a dramatically improved presence in the pocket, more sound decisions, and a willingness to stand in the pocket and make big throws under big pressure.

Most impressively, Jones has dramatically reduced his turnovers, with just four interceptions, down from seven and four lost fumbles through seven games in 2020. The offense still has its share of warts, including being the league’s worst red-zone offense, but it’s unfair to assign blame to Jones for any struggles, given the cacophony of injuries around him.

Are you overselling the JV offense narrative here? After all, Jalen Hurts put up nearly 400 yards and 2 touchdowns without a turnover just a few weeks ago and now there are calls for him to be benched in Philly.

That’s fair, but the Giants managed only 302 yards of total offense against the Panthers last week, and Jones accounted for 247 of them (203 passing, 28 rushing, 16 receiving). The state of the offensive line is an evolving disaster, and while there’s always that chance that Jones puts up 300 yards with two touchdowns against that Chiefs defense, the issues in the red zone and lack of healthy weapons make it really difficult to envision the Giants can keep pace on the actual scoreboard.