Articles

By Michael Stewart/@golferbad

Introduction: The New York Giants suffered a devastating defeat to the hands of the Philadelphia Eagle last Thursday night 22-21 after having an 11 point lead with only 6:17 remaining in the game. With the loss, the Giants are now 1-6 and have already begun being sellers by sending outside linebacker Markus Golden to the Arizona Cardinals for a 2021 6th round pick.

The Giants will have plenty of rest (10 days) before facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and future Hall of Famer Quarterback Tom Brady on Monday night football on November 2nd; which will be prior to the trading deadline on November 3rd.  It’s unclear who will still be on the roster for this game as the Giants could/should be heavy sellers.

The Bucs are currently 4-2 in the NFC South and are scoring 29.5 points per game to the Giants 17.4. On defense, the Bucs have surrendered 20.3 to the Giants 24.9. Currently; the Bucs have a 79.9% chance of winning this game and I expect that to increase closer to game time. On paper; this is certainly a mismatch as these teams are going in different directions as the Bucs could be buyers at the deadline and the Giants will not. Here are my top 5 ways to the Giants could win this game:

  • Play a full 60 minutes of football: The Giants have yet to play a solid 60 minutes of football as each game we have seen moments of lapsed performances; which has cost this team some wins (most notably/Dallas and Philadelphia). If the Giants have any chance of sniffing a win; they must play not only a full 60 minutes of football, but a flawless 60 minutes of football; perhaps too much to ask for.
  • Pressure the Quarterback:  The Giants didn’t do a good enough job against the Eagles in pressuring quarterback Carson Wentz with only 2 sacks. If the Giants allow Tom Brady to sit comfortably in the pocket; well it will be like watching a skilled surgeon at work and it will be a very long evening for the Giants.  
  • Execution: This category pertains to a few areas as the Giants offense must have sustainable drives and give their defense a chance to catch their breaths. The Giants defense has been their best department, however; over the last couple of games they have been faltering at the end of games mostly because of exhaustion.
  • Battle in the Trenches: It often comes down to controlling the line of scrimmage and this game is no different than any other game. The Giants offensive line must allow their offense the opportunity to make plays with the limited weapons for Daniel Jones to utilize. If the Giants can’t generate enough 1st downs and go three and out for the most part; this game will be over by halftime.
  • Takeaway/Giveaways/Big Play Moments:  The Giants need a team effort in this area not only from their defense/offense, but also from their special teams. Creating turnovers on special teams and on defense could be momentum changers and the Giants need every chance they get to give them a chance for an upset.

Final Thoughts: The one element that I’ve seen in every game for the Giants this season is the fact that this team plays hard for Head Coach Joe Judge. They may not execute well on either side of the ball, but I expected that with such a young team and without the proper preparation of training camp and pre-season games.

Another element I’ve noticed in a negative way has been the many mental mistakes ranging from the offensive line in their blocking assignments to the missed coverage by the secondary and linebacker groups; which usually is costly and impacts the outcome of the game. At this point, I believe all of these traits will come into play in this game as I expect the Giants to play hard but will find a way or many ways to lose this game.

Final Score: Buccaneers-30/Giants-13