Skip to main content
New York Giants homepage
Advertising

Giants News | New York Giants – Giants.com

ForF_100x30

Presented by

Fact or Fiction: Brian Burns' sack numbers; NFC vs. AFC

FACT-OR-FICTION-BRIAN-BURNS

The Giants.com crew is presented with four statements and must decide whether they are Fact or Fiction.

Brian Burns will get to double-digit sacks this season.

Dan Salomone: Fact – When the Giants traded for him, we knew his floor was higher than most players. Entering the season, he was one of eight players in NFL history to record at least 7.5 sacks in each of his first five seasons (Reggie White, Derrick Thomas, DeMarcus Ware, Jared Allen, Aaron Donald, Ryan Kerrigan, and Yannick Ngakoue). He made that six in a row as he currently sits at eight sacks in his Giants debut campaign. Burns has picked up a sack in each of his past two home games, including one of Baltimore's Lamar Jackson.

Matt Citak: Fiction – Burns has put together a strong first season with the Giants, despite his box score stats not necessarily jumping off the page. He leads the team with 57 pressures, according to Next Gen Stats, which are tied for the 11th in the NFL. Nonetheless, I'm not sure Burns gets two more sacks this season given the upcoming matchups. Anthony Richardson has been sacked only 14 times in 11 games this season. Then it would come down to sacking Jalen Hurts twice next week, which is a tall task. I believe Burns will end the season just shy of double-digit sacks with nine.

Rookie linebacker Darius Muasau will lead the Giants in tackles again on Sunday.

Dan Salomone: Fiction – Credit goes to Giants.com's Michael Eisen for pointing this out, but the Giants keep losing their leading tackler, from Bobby Okereke to Tyler Nubin to Micah McFadden. Next up on the list is safety Jason Pinnock. He will try to keep up the tackle numbers while avoiding injury.

Matt Citak: Fact – With Bobby Okereke sidelined, Muasau has played 76 percent, 100 percent and 99 percent of the team's defensive snaps in each of the last three games, respectively. He totaled 25 tackles during that span, including 11 in last week's game against the Falcons. Okereke is on injured reserve, and Micah McFadden's status for this Sunday is in doubt due to the neck injury he suffered in Atlanta. The Colts are going to try to run the ball early and often on Sunday, which means Muasau is likely in for another high-volume day. The rookie linebacker will crack double-digit tackles and lead the team for the second consecutive week.

View photos of the Giants on the practice field at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

If the Giants limit Colts running back Jonathan Taylor to fewer than 100 rushing yards, they will win the game.

Dan Salomone: Fiction – The Colts are just 2-4 this season when Taylor hits 100 yards on the ground. The key this week – and every week – is to win the turnover differential, which the Giants have not done once this season.

Matt Citak: Fiction – The Giants held Falcons running back Bijan Robinson to 94 yards on the ground last week. However, Robinson averaged over 4.0 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns, which helped Atlanta cruise to a 34-7 victory. Going back to Week 15, the Giants held Ravens running back Derrick Henry to just 67 rushing yards, but Lamar Jackson added another 65 while tossing five touchdown passes. If the Giants can hold the Colts to fewer than 100 rushing yards as a team, which includes both Taylor and Richardson, then I believe they have a chance to win this game. With how big of a role the mobile QB plays in the run game, simply containing Taylor on Sunday may not be enough.

The NFC is better than the AFC this season.

Dan Salomone: Fiction – The North alone makes a strong case for the NFC, but the AFC is full of powerhouses and coaches with rings. The latter breaks the tie.

Matt Citak: Fiction – The Chiefs are 15-1 and are just now beginning to play their best football, while the Bills (12-3) and Ravens (11-5) are not far behind. All three of these teams could easily make an argument to be the best team in the NFL, regardless of what their records are. Now the performance of the NFC North made this one close, as the Lions, Vikings and Packers have all clinched spots in the playoffs. However, the Lions' defensive injuries may prove too much to overcome. At the end of the day, I'm putting my trust in the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson and giving the nod to the AFC.

View photos of the all-time series between the New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts.

100th BOOK_OnSale_1920x1080_CTA_Promo

Giants 100th season book on sale now

"New York Football Giants: The People, The Moments, The Traditions" is available now exclusively at the Giants online shop. The book explores the team's greatest players, unforgettable games and stories that have defined the franchise for the last century.

Related Content

Advertising