The Arizona Cardinals have a few reasons to be optimistic heading into their Week 4 matchup against the New York Giants.
Per Zach Gershman of AZ Cardinals, “Arizona heads into its Week 4 matchup with a perfect 3-0 record at MetLife Stadium against the Giants. They are 4-1 overall, splitting their two matchups against the New York Jets.”
Over its three games against the Giants, Arizona has won 25-14 (Sep. 14, 2014), 27-21 (Oct. 20, 2019), and 26-7 (Dec. 13, 2020). Do the math, and the Cardinals have dominated the Giants in East Rutherford.
They have outscored New York 78-42, for an average final score of 26-14. That gives them a two-possession advantage in their three matchups.
Cardinals Have Been Dominant Against the Giants at MetLife
Arizona’s 2014 matchup saw the Cardinals trailing 14-10 in the third quarter. But the Cardinals made life manageable for quarterback Drew Stanton, who was filling in for an injured Carson Palmer. Stanton led the Cardinals on an early fourth quarter drive to pull Arizona within one. Then Ted Ginn Jr. returned a punt for a touchdown to take a 19-14 lead. Arizona later iced the game with two field goals.
The Cardinals’ 2019 win at MetLife had Chase Edmonds written all over it. His 126-yard, three-touchdown performance overwhelmed New York. It was a picture-perfect game and homecoming for Edmonds, who played at nearby Fordham University. Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ defense sacked then-rookie quarterback Daniel Jones eight times, with Chandler Jones taking Daniel Jones down four times.
Arizona’s 26-7 win in Dec. 2020 was by far the most dominant beyond just the final score. The Cardinals held the Giants to 159 total yards and 10 first downs. They sacked Daniel Jones eight times, with Haason Reddick recording five and setting a new single-game record. Second-year quarterback Kyler Murray and receiver DeAndre Hopkins also put on a show, with Hopkins posting 136 receiving yards while Murray threw for 244 yards.
Against the New York Jets, the Cardinals won in dominating fashion 30-10 in 2020. Their only loss came in Dec. 2012, when they fell 7-6. Tack on the final score of those two matchups, and the Cardinals have scored 114 points at MetLife while allowing just 59.
More Than Just History Is On The Arizona Cardinals Side
Heading into Sunday’s game, the upcoming matchup looks far more favorable for the Cardinals thanks to two key factors.
One is that quarterback Jacoby Brissett has recently played his best football on the road. With Brissett building early-season chemistry with Trey McBride and Michael Wilson, he could put up big numbers against a weak Giants pass rush.
Arizona has also shown that it can dominate time of possession, and its offense has proven it can average three touchdowns per game in the season’s early stages. Arizona has also, on average, outscored the Giants 21-15, so that’s another number to keep in mind.
Both history and the current numbers show that this matchup favors the Cardinals. The last thing they need is to play down to the Giants.
If they play New York in the same way they played the second half of their Week 3 game against the San Francisco 49ers, the Cardinals should snag the W and return to Arizona with momentum.
Arizona Cardinals Carry Sparkling MetLife Record Into Giants Matchup