The New York Giants (2-3) and New England Patriots (5-0) will square off on Thursday night in a Week 6 matchup featuring two teams headed in entirely different directions.
The Giants opened the week as 15.5-point road underdogs, and little has changed in that regard as the spread sits at 16.5.
With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Patriots Wire contributing writer Lance Reynolds.
Giants Wire: Bill Belichick always becomes a little more talkative, a little more introspective and a little more emotional than usual when he talks about the New York Giants. He has a fondness for the Mara family in his heart and at some level, still bleeds blue. Is that accepted by Patriots faithful, or is it something that rubs some the wrong way?
Lance Reynolds: Bill Belichick has led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl victories in a 20-year span. Before Belichick arrived in New England, the Patriots were a dismal franchise that struggled to consistently make the playoffs and had yet to win a single Super Bowl.
Yeah, the New York Giants snapped New England’s undefeated season in the most important game of the year in Super Bowl XLII and then again defeated them in Super Bowl XLVI. Sure, those losses hurt a ton for the Patriots faithful, but if Belichick never gained the lessons and experiences that he did while as an assistant coach for New York, who knows if New England would have become as successful as they are this millennium.
So to answer your question, I definitely believe it is accepted by the Patriots faithful for Belichick to have a fondness for the Mara family and to still bleed some Giants blue. All New England cares about is winning championships. Belichick has won six for them.
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Tom Brady is 42 years old, but he’s still out there slinging it like a 20-year-old. As someone who sees him every day, has Brady lost anything at all, or is he still the elite of the elite?
Tom Brady has begun the season in pretty impressive fashion. Through five games, he has posted 1,409 yards and 10 touchdowns with just two interceptions thrown. Given the current quarterback landscape around the NFL, I would still consider Brady an elite quarterback.
However, the quarterback play style around the league has definitely changed in the course of Brady’s 20-year career, especially recently. You’re seeing guys like Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson and even Daniel Jones not just throwing bombs to their deep-threat receivers, but escaping from pressure in a very unique, versatile way that has never been seen before in the NFL.
Brady doesn’t fit that mold. He is still very much your traditional quarterback that stands in the pocket waiting for his targets to get open. With the abundance of injuries along the Patriots offensive line this season, Brady has been pressured more than usual. In addition, the 42-year-old quarterback has been having to rely on Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon and James White as the only weapons that he trusts. Hopefully Phillip Dorsett and Rex Burkhead can return from injury sooner than later so Brady can have more reliable targets as opposed to Ryan Izzo, Brandon Bolden and Jakob Johnson.
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We could ask 30 questions about this historic defense, but we need to boil it down to something simple: How in the world are they so dominant in every single aspect?
I honestly don’t think anyone saw this coming from the New England defense this season. We all knew they were a loaded defense in all aspects — defensive line, linebackers and secondary. They had a historic performance in last February’s Super Bowl, holding a high-powering Rams offense to just three points. However, they lost the likes of Trey Flowers and Malcolm Brown, who were vital components in that Super Bowl victory, during the offseason. We knew the defense was going to be good, but we didn’t expect them to be on the historic pace that they are on through five games.
So, how have they been so dominant? You can point to several factors.
First, the Patriots have yet to play a good offense. The last four opponents they’ve played — Dolphins, Jets, Bills and Redskins — all rank in the league’s bottom five in terms of points scored per game. New England’s first opponent in the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t that much higher, as they sit at No. 22 in the league for points per game. All those teams except the Bills are also in the bottom five for yards per game.
Secondly, the Patriots’ depth along all fronts, whether it be their defensive line, linebacking unit or secondary, has got to be the deepest in the entire league. It seems like every single defensive player Belichick has thrown out there has made at least some kind of contribution. It’s been a lot of fun to watch, and I expect the defense to keep it up these next couple weeks.
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Belichick has mentioned repeatedly this week that he’s never seen a running back as gifted as Saquon Barkley. Assuming Barkley had played, how would the Patriots defense attack him?
It is a shame that Barkley to miss Thursday night’s game in New England. He would have been the most talented player and biggest superstar who the Patriots would have faced so far this season. Hopefully the talented, young franchise running back gets back to the Giants soon.
If Barkley was fully healthy and ready to play this week, I would expect Belichick to make sure to put his linebackers in a spot to slow Barkley down. The linebacking unit has been the most impressive aspect among the New England defense so far this season, and instead of trying to attack Daniel Jones, I would assume their attention would be solely on Barkley. At the end of the day, Belichick probably would rather take his chances on Jones beating his defense through the air than letting Barkley find all kinds of running room.
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Eli Manning is routinely mocked across the NFL landscape despite the fact that he’ll end up on the steps of Canton someday, but is he viewed similarly in New England? Given the respect that flows in both directions, I’m curious to know if history has altered how Patriots fans view him.
Manning has had a strange yet equally impressive career. When talking about top quarterbacks in the league during the past 15 or so years, Manning’s name rarely comes up. All the talk is about Brady, Drew Brees, Eli’s brother Peyton, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers and now the likes of Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes.
It’s strange how little Eli has been talked when it comes to top all-time quarterbacks. He ranks in the top 10 in passing yards, pass completions and pass touchdowns. Not to forget, Eli also has won two Super Bowls, both coming in stunning victories over the Patriots.
I think New England fans like to mock Eli because they are still sour that he defeated the Patriots twice on football’s grandest stage. I don’t find it fair that Eli hasn’t received a lot more admiration throughout his career. He 100 percent deserves a call to the Hall of Fame, whether Patriots fans want to agree or disagree.
Check out Lance Reynolds for all of your Patriots needs over at Patriots Wire.
