The New York Giants have a shot at hitting a truly good 3-1 record for the first quarter of their 2026 season this week, but don’t let the Arizona Cardinals’ measly single score against our Seahawks last week fool you. This isn’t a walk in the park. This game is going to tell us everything about who these Giants actually are right now, and the Cardinals are bringing a surprise punch to the party.
Winston’s Last Chance, Burns’ Big Hole: The Giants Are on the Hot Seat
This is Jameis Winston’s first game after a normal week of practice and prep, so all those excuses we heard about the Rams game plan, the short week, and the wild weather last week? Gone. The big question is whether the Giants coaching staff will actually trust Winston to throw the ball, and if they do, can he execute? Honestly, the guy hasn’t looked good since Jaxson Dart went down with his injury. If Arizona decides to clamp down on the Giants’ run game, Winston has to step up, period. On defense, it’s all about how they adapt to losing their best player, Brian Burns. The Cardinals actually put up points against the 49ers, so that single score against the Hawks might have just been some divisional weirdness. Chris Pflum of Big Blue View still thinks the Giants can pull out the win, mostly because a bunch of 2025 veterans are saying “We don’t win this game last year.” That mental shift, the ability to claw through adversity, could be bigger than we realize. But it won’t be pretty, and special teams might be the only difference if Winston doesn’t step up.
Forget Last Week, This Cardinals Offense Is No Joke (Even Against Our Hawks)
Tony DelGenio sees these two teams as pretty evenly matched, especially with the Giants’ injuries to Dart and Burns lowering their game. The forecast is cloudy with a chance of showers, and if we don’t get the crazy rain and wind we saw last weekend, expect a shootout. Arizona’s defensive line, with Zaven Collins playing great outside and Roy Lopez solid in the middle, is good, but they don’t get much pass rush overall and you can definitely run on them. Their secondary is nothing special, and Budda Baker just isn’t what he used to be. But the real problem for the Giants is the Cardinals’ offense. Jacoby Brissett, who many see as a backup, has actually been a starter for at least part of five different seasons, passing for over 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns last year. His go-to guy, All-Pro tight end Trey McBride, has put up over 1,000 receiving yards two years in a row, and we all know how the Giants handle good tight ends. Plus, they’ve got wide receiver Michael Wilson, who also broke 1,000 yards last season. With Burns out, if the Giants can’t find a way to get pressure on Brissett, the Cardinals can absolutely light up the scoreboard. They’ve already broken 30 points twice this season against good defenses like the Chargers and the 49ers. Rookie running back Jeremiah Love even had his best game last week with 90 yards, more than half of those coming after contact.
This Week 4 matchup for the Giants isn’t just another game. It’s a massive test for Winston, a gut check for their defense without Burns, and a true look at whether those veterans really found that new winning mentality. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are trying to prove last week against our boys was a fluke, and they’ve got the firepower to do it. This is going to be a wild one. Don’t miss it, Emerald City!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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