The New York Giants (3-2-1) travel to Houston on Sunday to face the Texans (2-4), with redemption on their minds.

Last week, in their 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints (a game the Giants had no business losing but somehow found a way to), Big Blue did not play well in any phase.

The goal this week was to clean up a lot of the problems across all three phases, including defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson’s very direct characterization of players not running to the ball as “traitors” on defense, the embarrassing communication issues on special teams, and the lethargic rushing attack, which head coach John Harbaugh hopes someone will take the bull by the horns.

It won’t be easy. Despite their 2-4 record, the Texans are just starting to get into a groove. They’ve won their last two games, against the Titans and Jaguars, and have the league’s 10th-best offense and fourth-best passing offense. Their defense is probably the best the Giants have faced since their Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

But the Giants, who this week made the switch to quarterback J.J. McCarthy, are hoping the offense, which has struggled since its Week 1 domination of Dallas, gets a much-needed injection of adrenaline.

McCarthy, who had a successful, extensive showing in last week’s loss to the Saints (albeit against a softer defense), more closely matches the skill set of injured starter Jaxson Dart.

That means the 20-30% of the playbook (the RPO and designed runs) that the Giants had to drop when they lost Dart will be restored. The hope is that bringing that element back will help the lethargic rushing attack.

There are other factors to consider. For one, the health of the team’s top three offensive tackles (Andrew Thomas, Jermaine Eluemunor and Marcus Mbow) is a big question mark, with the latter two listed as questionable for Sunday.

Suffice it to say, this is not a good week for the tackles to be gimpy, not with an afternoon against NFL sack leaders Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter and Jadeveon Clowney on the dance card.

On the other side of the ball, the Giants defense just lost another key starter in inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, the defense’s “quarterback.” That’s not good news for a run defense that ranks 29th in yards allowed per game (135.5) and 31st in average rushing yards allowed per play (5.05).

If there is a hint of good news for Giants fans to lean on, it’s that even if the Giants lose this week, they will still be in first place in the NFC East. Dallas and Philadelphia are playing each other, and Washington has a bye.

Still, it would make for a much better afternoon if the Giants can go into their Week 8 bye with an upset win, giving themselves and their division lead a little more padding.

Follow along with our live blog for scoring updates, statistical info, observations, injury reports and more. 

Then don’t forget to check in with New York Giants On SI after the game for complete postgame coverage.

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