While the New York Giants and Houston Texans feature quarterbacks eyeing team milestones, both squads may feature a heavy dose of the running game when they meet Sunday.
The Texans take aim at their first 4-1 start in club history when they host the Giants (2-2).
New York’s Eli Manning needs 351 yards passing to become the second player in club history - the other being Phil Simms - to go over 20,000 yards in his career.
And despite a prolific passing attack featuring quarterback Matt Schaub, who can set the team mark of consecutive games with a touchdown (13), the Texans may be forced to simplify its offense this week as two of their top receivers are gimpy with leg injuries.
Andre Johnson missed last week’s 31-24 win over Oakland with an ankle injury and hasn’t practiced during the week. Jacoby Jones left the game with a strained calf and also has not practiced.
The tandem’s absence doesn’t bode well against the NFL’s second-ranked passing defense.
That could mean a heavy workload for Arian Foster, who leads the NFL in rushing with 537 yards. Foster ran for 131 yards on 16 carries despite sitting out the first quarter of last week’s game for disciplinary reasons. Houston ran for 249 yards as a team and moved up to No. 1 in the league in rushing offense.
But Johnson’s status could be the key for the Texans. Johnson racked up 158 yards on 12 receptions in Houston’s comeback win against Washington earlier in the season despite limping throughout the second half and he would present major matchup problems for the Giants’ secondary.
Coach Gary Kubiak said that both Johnson and Jones will be game-time decisions.
The Giants’ defense dominated in last week’s 17-3 win over the Chicago Bears. New York sacked Jay Cutler nine times in the first half before knocking him out of the game with a concussion.
Still, the Giants led just 3-0 at the half before putting the game away on the heels of 129 yards rushing and a touchdown from Ahmad Bradshaw. Bradshaw has missed practice time during the week with an ankle injury but is expected to start.
Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka will miss a second straight game with a bulging disk in neck. His partner at defensive end, Osi Umenyiora, continues to miss practice due to a knee injury but expects to play.
Houston has won four of the past five games against NFC opponents and has a signature win already this year over Indianapolis. The Giants seemed to resurrect their season’s hopes with last week’s dominant performance.
Unlike the Texans, Manning’s targets are healthy and have been productive. Hakeem Nicks had a career-high eight catches for 110 yards last week. He’s tied for the NFC lead with four touchdowns.
Steve Smith and Mario Manningham have combined for 35 receptions and a touchdown on the season.