Here are five story lines to follow in Sunday's matchup:
Getting on the right track
For the fifth consecutive season (and second under Joe Judge), the Giants have begun the year 0-2. Although last week's game came down to the wire, with Washington kicking a game-winning field goal with no time on the clock, Coach Judge acknowledged the fans' frustration yet remained adamant that the focus remains the same.
"Look, our job is to go out there and give the fans entertainment and to give them something to cheer for," Judge said Friday. "That's our job and that's our responsibility. I say it all the time, we don't ask the fans for anything. We have to earn it and when they give it, it's been earned. I'm 100-percent onboard with the fans and what they want to see, and that's what we're working to give them is that product on the field. But when you want to get those results, it ain't about being frustrated to get results, it's about working to get results.
"We're going to come back to work like we do every week, keep putting them together and making sure we're improving as a team and at the end of the day keep putting a better product on the field. We took a step forward this week in a lot of ways and there's things we've got to correct and clean up going forward, but the point with our team is we've got to keep improving on a weekly basis to get where we want to go."
There were some positives to come out of last week's loss. The offense scored 29 points and registered 391 total yards, including 163 on the ground. This was a stark improvement from Week 1, when the unit finished with just 13 points and 60 rushing yards. Heading into Week 3 still looking for the first win of the season is not what anyone on the team was hoping for, but as Kenny Golladay noted on Monday, it's a long season and the calendar is only on September.
"There's a lot of football left," the wide receiver said. "We've got to put that behind us and just focus on Atlanta."
The O-line shuffle continues
We are only two games into the season, yet the offensive line has already gone through plenty of changes. Starting left guard Shane Lemieux was placed on injured reserve after the season opener. This caused Nick Gates to shift to guard while Billy Price took over at center. Unfortunately, Gates suffered a lower left leg fracture during the first half of the Washington game and has since been placed on IR, thus leading to more shuffling along the line.
How the unit looks on Sunday remains up in the air, as Judge has yet to announce who will be inserted into the starting lineup following Gates' injury. However, it is likely that Price will once again start at center, while Ben Bredeson gets the start at left guard, an impressive feat considering both players were acquired just a couple of weeks ago. Bredeson received all of the snaps at LG after Gates was injured, and while it wasn't a perfect game from the O-line, the offense put up a healthy amount of points against one of the league's toughest defenses.
"I was actually really pleased with the way they came through the other night," Judge said about the line's performance against Washington. "There are some things we have to clean up and keep building forward at all positions – the offensive line is no exception. However, I'd say the way Billy and Ben have jumped in here in a short period of time and really made a lot of gains for us, jumping in and learning the vocabulary with one week of practice and then you have another week of a couple walk-throughs going in there…
"I like when Ben got in. I think Ben competes his butt off. He's making a lot of gains for us right now. I like the way both guys work and obviously we're trying to get to be the best unit we can be. I talk to guys all the time, it doesn't matter offensive line-wise how you are individually, it's we've got to be the best unit because everything works collectively with those guys."
The Falcons have registered four sacks this year, including three against the Buccaneers last week. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett is one of the best in the league at his position, racking up 17.5 sacks and five forced fumbles from 2018-2020.
Get Saquon going
It's been great to see Saquon Barkley back on the field for the Giants this season after he tore his ACL in Week 2 of the 2020 campaign. Through the first two games, Barkley has rushed for 83 yards on 23 carries (3.6 avg.) with three receptions for 13 yards. Barkley is still shaking the rust off after not taking a real football hit in almost a full year, but he showed improvement in his second game back last week.
"I was pleased at how he moved around last night," Judge said on Friday. "He did some good things for us in the game. He played tough for us. He ran the ball hard. He had the explosive run for us and did some nice things in the passing game. Obviously, he's going to be a key part of our offense and our team. He's a key leader on our team. We'll keep finding ways to be creative and get it to him. Again, look, this guy getting out there, getting his feet wet the first couple of weeks and getting moving with it, I'm really encouraged with where he's at right now."
In his first two seasons, Barkley showed an ability to break out a long run on any given play. The 24-year-old back displayed that explosiveness against Washington, breaking loose for a 41-yard gain on his fourth carry of the game. After playing two games in a matter of days, including 58 snaps in Week 2, it was an encouraging sign that Barkley's body responded well to the increased playing time.
"I was able to get out there and play a full game," Barkley said after the Washington game. "My body and my knee responded well, so I kind of knocked that rust off…I've got to continue to trust the knee, trust the system and as the system keeps going, I'll continue to do better."
In their Week 1 loss to the Eagles, the Falcons allowed Miles Sanders to run for 74 yards on 15 carries (4.9 avg.) while Kenneth Gainwell gained 37 yards on nine carries (4.1 avg.) and scored a touchdown. Atlanta limited Buccaneers running backs Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones to just 79 yards last week, but surrendered 4.6 yards per attempt. The Falcons defense enters this matchup ranked 24th in the league in rushing yards allowed.
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