The New York Giants face a must-win Week 4 game against the Arizona Cardinals after making their intentions for the 2025 season crystal clear by acquiring JJ McCarthy. If the Giants have aspirations to see how many games they can win, they cannot start flat and play poorly against an Arizona team that is better than its record suggests.

The Giants are very clearly not trying to punt on this year and coast into 2027. While I doubt McCarthy plays this week, the move signaled that the front office wants to see what this roster can pull together. Maybe it’s not a playoff push. It would take a massive run to reach the postseason with the quarterback limitations New York will have this season. The goal is to win games against beatable opponents and identify the key pieces worth building around long-term.

Don’t underestimate these Cardinals

If you haven’t been paying attention, you could easily dismiss Arizona as a one-win team destined for the No. 1 overall pick. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

The Cardinals opened the season with a 26-14 win over the Chargers, allowing only 268 total yards. They lost to the Seahawks 31-7, but Seattle is coming off a Super Bowl, and the game was 7-7 at halftime. Arizona’s wide receivers combined for just four catches and 29 yards in that loss, exposing the team’s biggest deficiency.

Last week’s game against the 49ers reinforced an important point. Head coach Mike LaFleur has raised the floor of this Cardinals team. Despite having what is probably a bottom-three roster in the league, Arizona rallied from down 23-6. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Cardinals stun teams down the stretch with unexpected wins. This is a well-oiled machine early, and they’re far better than your typical bottom-feeder. This is not what the Tennessee Titans just were. This is an actual team trying to improve its culture, doing the same exact thing the Giants are.

Beating the Cardinals doesn’t dramatically alter the Giants’ long-term trajectory, but they cannot lose to another team in the same phase of their rebuild. A brand-new coaching staff showing signs of competence and competitiveness cannot go out there, play sloppy, and get beat. Otherwise, things could start to unravel quickly.

The passing game must wake up

One key area the Giants need to attack is Arizona’s banged-up secondary. Budda Baker remains one of the league’s best veteran safeties, and Andrew Wingard has been solid, but losing Will Johnson to the IR has clearly hurt. The Cardinals rank 30th in EPA per pass allowed and 28th in EPA per play allowed overall.

The Giants are going to have a tougher time running the ball than they did in previous weeks. Arizona ranks 6th in EPA per rush allowed. The Cardinals will try to take Cam Skattebo and Najee Harris away, which means if New York wants to set up play action early, they need to take what the defense gives them and produce splash plays through the air. Jameis Winston needs to be more impactful. The Giants have to connect on some of those deep shots. Otherwise, it will be another brutal game where they score 12 points and fail to finish in the red zone.

Walter Nolen is the biggest key to the game

The most important matchup to watch is Arizona’s former first-round pick, Walter Nolen, at interior defensive end. While he hasn’t put up gaudy stats to start the season, he is an explosive interior pass rusher with the bend to win consistently. 

We just witnessed Jeffrey Simmons produce a number of big plays against the Titans. They’re not a one-to-one comparison, but Simmons is an elite interior pass rusher, and the Giants cannot let Nolan get going the same way. John Michael-Schmitz and Jon Runyan need to play well. If the Giants allow those interior pressures, Winston, who is practically immobile, will get sacked. With a bad secondary and a solid run defense on the other side, letting Nolan break free up the middle will lead to another day where the offense stalls and frustration mounts.

Cardinals’ offense is further along than expected

Offensively, Arizona ranks 14th and 15th in most advanced metrics after playing the Chargers, Seahawks, and 49ers. That alone shows this team is further along than anyone expected. Jeremiyah Love is earning more touches, posting 109 scrimmage yards last week. Trey McBride remains a reliable pass-catching weapon. Michael Wilson is a solid receiver, and Marvin Harrison Jr., while disappointing so far, still represents a threat. If the Giants’ defense doesn’t play effectively, those weapons will produce.

This is a culture-building opportunity. The Giants need to play cleaner to build momentum and confidence with their young players. The Cardinals have proven to be better than people thought, and beating a team trying to do the same things you are puts the Giants in a better spot than anyone will admit.