It has been a busy bye week for the New York Giants as in a five-day span, they have demoted QB1 Daniel Jones all the way down to fourth string on Monday and then released him Friday morning. In addition, it is being reported that Head Coach Brian Daboll is coaching for his job in this last stretch of games per Jordan Schultz, so there is a lot going on off the field for the G-Men.
Aside from all the distractions the Giants are trying to look forward as they have a crucial matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this upcoming Sunday. The Giants currently sit at 2-8 on the year, and last place in the NFC East. The G-Men are also 0-5 at home, so the franchise and its fans are eager to get a win in their own building.
Last Time Out
The Giants have enjoyed a week off after losing their fifth straight game of the season to the Carolina Panthers (20-17) overseas in Munich, Germany. The G-Men looked nothing short of awful as the team could not capitalize on any part of the field and just kept turning the ball over. However, the Giants made a late rally to force overtime where disaster struck yet again, with Tyrone Tracy Jr. fumbling to give the Panthers great field position to win the game.
There were plenty of negatives to takeaway, but the three main ones were:
- Daniel Jones – Went 22-37 with two interceptions and missed throws to wide open receivers. Jones was not seeing the ball well and as a result the Giants offense stalled several times throughout the game. Thankfully for the Giants, QB Tommy DeVito is getting the green light to take over, so hopefully he can provide a spark.
- Graham Gano – Gano returned from IR and was not the reliable kicker the Giants needed. Gano went 1-2 for field goals and 2/2 on extra points, with his miss coming from a 43-yard attempt.
- Giants Defense – The Giants got ran over in the run game, especially by Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard who had a career day with 153 yards, and one touchdown off 28 carries. As a whole the Giants let up 188 rushing yards in addition to 126 passing yards against one of the worst offenses in the league.
Looking at the bright side, two main takeaways were:
- Evan Neal – Neal recorded his first start of the season after being removed from his starting spot in the offseason. Neal had one of his best performances ever, as he had the highest PFF grade of any Giants offensive lineman (72.1 overall) and only allowed one pressure off of 41 pass block snaps per Next Gen Stats.
- Running Back Room – The rookie, Tracy Jr. had another nice week on the ground as he put up 103 yards and one touchdown off of 18 carries. RB2 Devin Singletary also had a solid outing with 40 yards on only eight carries.
All About the Bucs
The Bucs currently sit at 4-6 on the year and second in the NFC South behind the Atlanta Falcons. After starting out 4-2, the Bucs have dropped four straight with all losses being 10 points or less. So, while the record might not show it, the Bucs are a talented team that should be watched out for.
Offense
Led by QB1 Baker Mayfield the Bucs offense is ranked fifth overall in points per game (27.9) and eighth in total yards per game (361.5). Mayfield himself has had a great year so far with 24 passing touchdowns, 2,505 passing yards, nine interceptions, completion percentage of 70.6 and a passer rating of 103.6.
RB1 for the Bucs is Rashad White who has 306 yards on the year and one touchdown. In the passing game Mike Evans leads the way with 26 receptions for 335 yards and six touchdowns. Ex-Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard has been making his impact felt as so far this year he has recorded 16 receptions for 166 yards and seven touchdowns. Trey Palmer has also been contributing as he has recorded nine receptions for 123 yards and one touchdown.
The Bucs are still without Chis Godwin who is still on IR from his ankle injury suffered in Week 7 against the Ravens. However, the Bucs TE Caden Otten has been exquisite for the offense as he has recorded 49 receptions for 456 yards and four touchdowns.
Defense
In total defense the Bucs are ranked 30th with 30 touchdowns allowed and 389.3 defense yards average. In passing defense, they are ranked 30th as well 264.1 passing yards average allowed and 20 pass touchdowns allowed. In the run game, the Bucs rank 16th with 125.2 rush yards allowed on average and nine rush touchdowns allowed.
With the Giants new look offense led by Tommy DeVito, it will be interesting to see if the Giants can attack in the air the Bucs weak passing defense. On the ground Tracy Jr. has been killing it for the Giants, so it will be fascinating to see if they shut the rookie down, or if he can break through once again.
How do the Giants Square Up?
Defensively the Giants sit ranked 17th in total defense with 331.3 defense yards average and 23 touchdowns allowed. In the passing game defensively, the Giants rank fourth with only 184.2 pass yard average allowed and 12 passing touchdowns allowed. In the running game defensively, the Giants sit much lower at 29th with 147.1 rush yard allowed average and eight rushing touchdowns allowed.
Thankfully for the Giants the Bucs are more of an in-air threat offensively, but don’t be surprised to see the Bucs attacking the run game since it has been such a weakness for the Giants this year.
Offensively, who knows what to expect with the Giants switching it up at QB moving forward with DeVito. Right now, the Giants sit at 24th in total offense with 309.7 offense yards average and 16 offense touchdowns. In the passing game, the Giants rank 27th with 189.8 pass yard average and eight passing touchdowns. On the ground the Giants rank 14th with 119.9 rush yard average and seven rushing touchdowns.
This matchup really could be a wildcard for the Giants as a lot of changes have been made. Currently five players are listed as questionable for Sunday’s matchup per Jordan Raanan.
- WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton (Achilles)
- LB Micah McFadden (heel)
- LB Darius Muasau (hamstring)
- WR Malik Nabers (groin)
- OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (wrist)
However, Malik Nabers told Jordan Raanan on Friday that he intends to play Sunday.
Game Details – Giants vs Bucs
- Sunday Nov. 24, at 1 pm ET
- MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ
- Watch: CBS
- Listen: WFAN 101.9 FM or 660 AM
- Watch in Spanish: WADO 1280 AM
- Listen in Spanish: Sirius XM
Betting Odds – Giants vs Bucs
- Bucs are 6-point favorites over the Giants
- Over/under is set at 41.5 points
