Monday Night Football open thread: New York Giants vs. San Francisco 49ers

It’s showtime in the Bay Area. The New York Giants travel to Levi’s Stadium to face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. It will be an epic battle between a 1-7 team and a 2-7 team. The playoffs are likely out of the question for both squads, so they will instead battle for the hearts of millions.

Just kidding. I’ll probably end up playing Fortnite instead.

But for those of you brave souls willing to sit through this duel of doormats, there are plenty of storylines to be had.

Rookie of the Year front-runner Saquon Barkley headlines the struggling Giants. The second-overall pick in the 2018 Draft has accumulated 519 rushing yards on 111 carries, while adding 58 catches for 497 yards. Odell Beckham Jr., meanwhile, continues to be one of the elite receivers in the league. Can these two stars carry the Giants to victory?

Meanwhile, the 49ers are a team battered by injury. Their starting quarterback will be Jimmy Garoppolo C.J. Beathard Nick Mullens. A 2017 undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi, Mullens shined in relief last week, completing 16 of 22 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns — a near-perfect quarterback rating of 151.9. He was even verified on Twitter mid-game. It came at the expense of the pitiful Oakland Raiders, however, so it remains to be seen if he can sustain that level of success.

The biggest story, though, is Giants quarterback Eli Manning. In what could be his final prime time game, can he manage to create another iconic Manning face? Come chat with us as we suffer together!