Giants hoping to build on Week 1 effort
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LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Rams could not have looked worse, while the New York Giants could not have looked better in their respective season openers.
Both sides recognize the response to those performances when they meet tonight will be just as important as their Week 1 showings.
"They understand, they understood going into the game that it was the first game of a 17-game season, no matter what the outcome is going to be, and that the Rams are going to be next up regardless of what the outcome is," Giants coach John Harbaugh said. "So, our job is to get better, keep improving, because you have to."
The Rams (0-1) have plenty to address following their 27-7 flop to the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia. They were outplayed against their NFC West rivals after an offseason spent adding big names and amassing bigger expectations.
"That wasn't a day that really any of us liked," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "But, hey, it's not final, and we're looking to move forward."
Among the priorities for McVay is getting his offense on track after quarterback Matthew Stafford looked nothing like the form that won him the Most Valuable Player award last season, completing 60% of his throws for 155 yards and one interception.
McVay cited a lack of consistency for those struggles, compounded because the Rams possessed the ball twice in the first quarter and once in the third quarter.
"How do we string together positive plays, both in the run and the pass together?," McVay said. "And that's what good offenses do, and that's what we're striving to do."
The Giants (1-0) had no such problems, possessing the ball for 21:33 in the second half as they kept the high-powered Dallas Cowboys' offense on the sideline in a 28-20 victory.
It is a game plan they want to repeat on a regular basis, ideally making New York punter Jordan Stout a viewer instead of an active participant.
"We want to be on the field as long as we can, eating up the clock, getting points after every drive," fullback Patrick Ricard said.
"I told Jordan Stout, 'You're not punting this game.' I was just trying to set the tone early for the season, and we punted once. So, this game and every game moving forward, we're going to try (to have the) punter not punt."