Giants-Texans pregame thoughts: • There are different games during the season when you feel like you can learn a lot about a team. This feels like one of those games after the coaches turned up the heat this week. Had Harbaugh calling out a running back — any running back — to step up and Dennard Wilson putting the defense's effort on blast. This team has proven to be mentally tough this season, so we'll see how they respond today. • JJ McCarthy is a total wild card. Really impossible to predict what we'll see him from today. But I do expect the offense to shift back to what we saw in the opener. McCarthy's legs should help open up some lanes on zone read. But the Texans have a stout run defense. Won't be easy to just ground-and-pound their way through this one. • Cam Skattebo is out of the doghouse. Expecting a time share with Tyrone Tracy, with Devin Singletary mixed in. Harbaugh hoping someone emerges and they can ride that back. • Malik Nabers has been on a tear: 6-112-1, 11-121-1, 12-165-0 his past three games. He hasn't a faced a top corner since Trent McDuffie in Week 2. Derek Stingley is in that class, but he only plays on the left side. Giants can avoid that matchup if they want, although no one can guard Nabers when he's playing like this. The Texans have been susceptible to big plays. Giants will need some from Nabers and Isaiah Likely to have a shot today. • This isn't a great matchup to have tackles Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor banged up. Thomas will square off with Danielle Hunter. Anchoring has given Thomas the most trouble with his groin, so watch for bull rushes from Hunter. Eluemunor draws Will Anderson, who is emerging as the top edge rusher in the game. Giants have relied on leaving their tackles on islands. Will be a challenge to do that today. • The defense was put on notice by Wilson for their effort last week. Won't be easy to have a bounce-back while missing ILB Tremaine Edmunds (season-ending shoulder injury), CB Greg Newsome (concussion) and S Jevon Holland (concussion). • The Texans don't have a strong rushing game, which is the recipe to attack the Giants. Will be fascinating to see how Wilson attacks CJ Stroud. Stroud is playing at a high level and has done well against the blitz. Wilson has leaned heavily into the blitz, but that's mostly been against a string of subpar quarterbacks. Losing Newsome and Holland could expose the Giants to more big plays if they blitz. • Giants' special teams were a strength in the first five games. Last week was a disaster. That needs to get tightened up for a team that doesn't have a large margin for error. • Prediction: Texans 27, Giants 13. This is shaping up as a potential blowout. But McCarthy is a wild card, so it's hard to predict how this will go. Giants better not fall into a deep hole again because this matchup isn't built for a comeback.