Getty Former Giants RB Tiki Barber
For many New York football fans, there is early concern that the season could slip away quickly if the Giants can’t bounce back from their bad loss to the division rival Dallas Cowboys. The hope for Giants Nation is that a win this week against the Arizona Cardinals will get the team back on track.
WFAN NY Radio Host and former Giants RB Tiki Barber said on air Friday, September 15 that he has faith and confidence in his former team, but also labels this upcoming game against the Cardinals as a “must-win.”
“The Giants cannot afford to lose to a team that is supposed to be a cellar dweller, and so yes, it’s too early to actually say that Week 2 is a must-win, but it is a must-win for this Giants team,” Barber said.
“I am still confident. It’s hard to find positives in the Giants game, but you go look for positives. … You go look at the things that you did well. … They ran the ball effectively, we know they can do that, they can do that probably against any team.”
Barber also added his thoughts on quarterback Daniel Jones.
“You gotta still believe, at least I do still believe that Daniel Jones is going to keep evolving into this quarterback. … You can’t let Week 1 cloud your vision, your confidence, your hope in who he is going to become.”
@TikiBarber standing by his team and their QB. Love it!
Andrew Thomas & Azeez Ojulari on Week 2 Injury Report
Coming off an overall disappointing performance last Sunday night, Giants LB Azeez Ojulari reportedly injured his hamstring this week in practice and is now listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game against Arizona. The third-year pass rusher was only able to play in seven games last year due to injury, posting five starts. In 2022, Ojulari finished with 14 total tackles and 5.5 sacks.
LT Andrew Thomas suffered a hamstring tweak in the game last Sunday and the team has been monitoring it all week. Thomas is listed as questionable for this Sunday and will test the injury before the game according the ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. The third-year LT signed a big contract this offseason with the expectations of anchoring a highly questionable offensive line.
WR Wan’Dale Robinson also remains doubtful as he is still recovering from last season’s knee injury. TE Darren Waller, who was on the injury report earlier this week, has been removed and is expected to play.
The Giants official injury report:
Doubtful:
OLB Azeez Ojulari (hamstring)
WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee)
Questionable:
LT Andrew Thomas (hamstring)
Disappointing on Ojulari. Relatively positive for Thomas.
Spoke with Robinson this week and the tricky part was the two games…
Saquon Barkley Does Not Feel Urgency Ahead of the Week 2 vs. Cardinals
Many are labeling this week as a “must-win” game for the Giants. For Saquon Barkley the fifth-year captain who recently signed a franchise tag of $10.1 million, it is important to approach this game like any other.
When asked by a reporter if there was a heightened sense of urgency this week at practice, Barkley answered with a resounding “no.”
“We got to stay solid. The core got to stay solid within this locker room within this building, and I think we did that. … Hopefully on Sunday we can go out there and show you guys.”
The Giants enter the game as 4.5-point favorites over the Cardinals, per FanDuel.
Saquon Barkley on if there’s a sense of urgency after Week 1’s loss to the Cowboys:
“You can’t act like the sky is falling. That’s for everyone else to do that”
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Former Giants RB Tiki Barber Labels Week 2 Game a ‘Must Win’