The New York Giants host the New England Patriots on Sunday after spending their last three games on the road.
It’s been a dismal season for Big Blue, having won their third game of the season last Sunday against the Washington Commanders.
The Patriots aren’t having a great season, either. They have won just two games in what could possibly be Bill Belichik’s last season as the head coach.
Since the departure of Tom Brady, the Pats have sunk to the bottom of the NFL. That said, the Giants are at the bottom, too.
If they want to come away with a win on Sunday and improve their record, there are six things the Giants must do against New England this week.
Can someone please protect the QB?
Tommy DeVito has been sacked 22 times in four games. Not all of those sacks are the fault of the offensive line, though. The line has to remain strong and protect DeVito, but DeVito has to be smarter with the ball and get rid of it faster or take off with it.
Air it out
Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka did a better job of balancing the play-calling on Sunday, and that has to continue this week. Patriots’ opponents have racked up 2,288 receiving yards and 12 passing touchdowns this season. It’s an area the Giants need to exploit to win this game.
No turnovers.
In their three wins this season, the Giants have a total of two turnovers. Both were interceptions — one against Arizona and one in their first game against Washington. Outside of those three games, the Giants have thrown seven interceptions and lost four fumbles, not to mention special teams errors. No turnovers and the likelihood of a win goes up.
Get after Mac Jones (or whoever plays QB)
Mac Jones is struggling this season and is currently on pace for his worst season in the league. He has as many interceptions as he has touchdowns (10) and lost a fumble as well. He’s only been sacked 21 times, so the defense has to be on top of its game. But if the defense can get pressure on Jones (or whoever starts under center) and force him to make a mistake, it could result in multiple turnovers in the Giants’ favor.
Secondary involvement
As the defensive line puts pressure on Jones, the secondary must have a keen awareness of where the ball is. Of course, they should always know where the ball is, but in this case, they need to be ready to catch or cover the ball. Especially after last week’s performance against Washington, the Giants should be prepped for turnovers.
Clock management
On average, the Giants hold the ball about the same amount of time as their opponents. However, with DeVito under center, that’s not entirely true. They won the clock against the Raiders three weeks ago, but Dallas and Washington both owned the clock in those games. The Giants managed a win over Washington thanks to six turnovers, but otherwise, if you don’t own time of possession, you don’t win the game.
