Resurgent Giants led by rookies Dart and Skattebo face big test in Denver’s dominant defense

New York Giants (2-4) at Denver (4-2)

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, CBS.

BetMGM NFL Odds: Broncos by 7.

Against the spread: Giants 3-3, Broncos 2-3-1.

Series record: Tied 7-7.

Last meeting: Broncos defeated Giants 27-13 on Sept. 12, 2021, at MetLife Stadium.

Last week: Giants beat Eagles 34-17, Broncos beat Jets 13-11.

Giants offense: overall (19), rush (T-9), pass (17), scoring (26).

Giants defense: overall (28), rush (22), pass (26), scoring (20).

Broncos offense: overall (15), rush (7), pass (16), scoring (T-20).

Broncos defense: overall (2), rush (6), pass (3), scoring (2).

Turnover differential: Giants minus-3, Broncos minus-3.

Giants player to watch

Rookie RB Cam Skattebo is a human battering ram who, along with quarterback Jaxson Dart, is bringing some much-needed swagger and bravado to the offense. The way Skattebo plays fearless is part of what makes the offense work, even after losing top receiver Malik Nabers to a season-ending knee injury.

Broncos players to watch

Pass rushers Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper have won the past two AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Those back-to-back honors are a franchise first. They lead Denver’s dominant defense which had nine sacks last week against the Jets.

Key matchup

Jets rookie QB Jaxson Dart versus Denver’s pass rush. The Broncos have an NFL-best 30 sacks, which are 10 more than any other team in the league and a dozen Broncos have gotten in on the action.

Key injuries

Giants: WR Darius Slayton’s status is uncertain because of the hamstring injury that sidelined him for the game against Philadelphia. … C John Michael Schmitz is in concussion protocol. If he cannot play, Austin Schlottmann figures to start.

Broncos: After losing LG Ben Powers to a torn triceps two weeks ago, the Broncos lost his backup, Matt Peart, to a serious knee injury last week. So, it appears it’s Alex Palczewski’s turn.

Series notes

The teams met in Super Bowl 21 on Jan. 25, 1987, at the Rose Bowl, where the Giants rolled to a 39-20 victory. Other than that, it’s been a competitive series. When the Giants won their most recent game at Denver in 2017, it was their first win of the season and one of just two for interim coach Ben McAdoo.

Stats and stuff

QB Jaxson Dart threw for 195 yards and a touchdown and ran for 58 more and another in the upset of the Eagles. Dart joined Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson as the only QBs since 1950 with 50-plus rushing yards in each of his first three NFL starts. … Skattebo had a career-high 98 yards rushing and three TDs against Philadelphia. … With Nabers out, WR Wan’Dale Robinson leads the Giants this season with 29 catches for 351 yards. … TE Theo Johnson has the most TD catches on the team with three. … LB Brian Burns is third in the league in sacks with seven. … CB Dru Phillips ranks third with eight pass breakups…. CB Cor’Dale Flott intercepted Hurts last week, his first pick of the season. … The Broncos have won seven straight home games. … QB Bo Nix has a TD pass in 14 consecutive games, the fourth-longest active streak in the NFL. … RB J.K. Dobbins is tied for the league lead with a touchdown run in four games this season. … TE Evan Engram led the team with five catches for 42 yards last week with four of the receptions resulting in a first down. … LB Nik Bonitto leads the league with eight sacks. … Broncos’ 30 sacks so far are tied with Kansas City in 2013 for the most since 1990 by a team in the first six weeks of the season. … LB Justin Strnad had a career-best 1 1/2 sacks against the Jets last week. … S Talanoa Hufanga had third career sack and two tackles for loss last week.

Fantasy tip

Bo Nix has 25 touchdowns (22 passing, 3 rushing) in 10 home starts and is the only QB in the NFL with 500-plus completions (509), 35-plus TD passes (38) and 5-plus TD runs (5) since the start of last season.

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