Giants at Packers 2016, Week 5: First look at Sunday night matchup

With the Odell Beckham story continuing to dominate the headlines, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that the New York Giants face a difficult road game Sunday night at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers.

Let’s try to get our eye back on the ball, which we can all hope the Giants themselves are able to do, and take a first look at the matchup with 2-1 Green Bay. Here are some things to know.

• The Giants will be traveling to Green Bay on a short week, while the rested Packers are sitting home waiting for them after their bye week.
• Maybe you consider the season-opening victory over the Dallas Cowboys, which was in Arlington, a signature victory for the Giants. And yes, it was a nice game to win. Still, it was against a team using a rookie backup quarterback starting his first NFL game, even if Dak Prescott is proving to be a good player. You have to go all the way back to when the Giants beat the Packers, 38-10, on Nov. 25, 2012 to find a signature victory by the Giants over a quality team using its starting quarterback. That’s a loooooong time ago. And yes, Aaron Rodgers is playing Sunday for Green Bay.
• In case you’ve forgotten, Giants coach Ben McAdoo worked under Packers coach Mike McCarthy in Green Bay from 2006-2013. McAdoo served first as tight ends coach and then as quarterbacks coach.
• We have been critical of the Giants the past two weeks for not leaning heavily enough on a running game that was experiencing success. Running the ball against the Packers, though, might be impossible. Green Bay is No. 1 in the league vs. the run, giving p just 1.8 yards per attempt after three games.
• Passing against the Packers, though, is a different story. Green Bay is 29th in the league vs. the pass, giving up 307.3 yards per game with quarterbacks holding a 105.3 passer rating against. With Odell Beckham, Sterling Shepard and Victor Cruz, that would appear to be a favorable scenario for the Giants.

After a couple of rough weeks, the Giants could certainly use something good to happen Sunday. Stay with us throughout the rest of the week as we break down the matchup in more depth and keep you up to date on all the latest news about your favorite team.