The Giants open the 2022 season at Tennessee with plenty of questions.
Will Daniel Jones be the answer at quarterback? Will Saqun Barkley be a Giant at the end of this season or beyond? Is Brian Daboll the answer at head coach? Can Daboll transform Jones into a Josh Allen clone? Is the secondary good enough?
Are they better than their 4-13 record last season?
Questions involving Jones and Barkley have been circling the Meadowlands for quite some time.
There doesn’t appear to be any doubts about Daboll in spite of this being his first head coaching job.
This summer, the Giants first-team offense has been kept under wraps. Jones had a few reps, and Barkley basically was wrapped in plastic.
We saw plenty of backup quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Davis Webb, and the latter appeared to be a lock for the third-string quarterback. However, Webb was cut.
There was the saga of rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who was listed as doubtful with a MCL sprain. Second-year edge rusher Azeez Ojulari, who led the team with eight sacks last year, also is doubtful with a calf injury.
The questions will linger about the offensive line even though they appear to have cohesion and consistency for the first time in the past few years.
The Giants traded veteran corner James Bradberry and veteran Adoree Jackson, who had an adequate season last year, and second-year player Aaron Robinson will get the nod.
Safety Xavier McKinney has shown all the qualities of being one of the best in the game, and fellow safety Julian Love has developed over the past few seasons.
Top draft pick tackle Evan Neal, and veteran guard Mark Glowinski and center Jon Feliciano have solidified, but the question will be their familiarity with each other in the regular season. How long will it be until they look like they are in a flow?
Leonard Williams agreed to have his massive contract restructured. Can he and Dexter Tomlinson provide a pass rush with Thibodeeaux and Ojulari sidelined?
Like the Giants, Tennessee has held a low profile on the national scene. The Titans have bullrush running back Derrick Henry back healthy and quarterback Ryna Tannehill throwing the ball to a young, but productive receiving corps.
The Titans’ blue-collar defense, truly resemblant of head coach Mike Vrable, is led by defensive tackle and edge rusher Harold Landry III had 12 sacks last year. Remember , this team was a win away from the Super Bowl last year, and their 12 regular-season wins were the most since 2008.
The Giants will begin as a team with a new system and questions to answer, while the Titans are an already established AFC contender again.Tennessee is a 5.5-point favorite, and it looks like a safe bet.
Questions, questions, questions.
The Giants will begin to have them answered Sunday in Tennessee. It will just be a matter of how many are left. By midseason, we will know the state of the team and have questions answered.
It will be interesting to see the first-team offense and defense be fully unveiled for the first time in an extended period of time.
Take the Titans and the points.