The New York Giants will meet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this coming Monday night in a matchup that appears to be an uneven one. The 5-2 Bucs are soaring toward the top of the NFC while the 1-6 Giants are struggling to find their way.
Recent history tells us none of that means anything. If you’re smart, you might hop on the Giants train and take those 10.5 points this week.
The Giants and Bucs meet for a fourth straight season, and if recent trends hold true, this will be a whopper of a ballgame. The past three contests were decided by one, three and two points, respectively.
October 1, 2017: Buccaneers 25, Giants 23
It seems like 100 years ago that Ben McAdoo and Dirk Koetter were the coaches of these teams. The Giants came into Tampa 0-3 and would be in big trouble with a loss after qualifying for the playoffs the year before. The Bucs led 16-10 at halftime but the Giants took a 17-16 lead in the third quarter on a 4-yard pass from Eli Manning to running back Wayne Gallman.
Tampa would outscore the Giants 9-6 in the fourth quarter to win the game, 25-23. This battle was more about the points missed than the points scored.
Bucs kicker Nick Folk missed two field goals and a PAT. They also failed on a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter. After the Giants took a 23-22 lead on a Manning-to-Rhett Ellison 2-yard touchdown pass with 3:16 remaining, the two-point conversion attempt was disallowed as it was ruled that wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. stepped out of bounds.
November 18, 2018: Giants 38, Buccaneers 35
The 2-7 Giants, led by new head coach Pat Shurmur, faced off against Koetter’s 3-6 Bucs at MetLife Stadium in an afterthought of a game that had no bearing on the playoff picture.
The Giants had a new weapon to throw at Tampa this time around, rookie running back Saquon Barkley, and he would score three touchdowns and rush 27 times for 142 yards in the game.
The Giants would open up a 31-14 lead on a Manning to Beckham 8-yard touchdown strike but the Bucs, behind erratic but explosive quarterback Jameis Winston, would come charging back with three fourth-quarter touchdowns. The Giants were able to stave them off and secure the victory, though.
September 22, 2019: Giants 32, Buccaneers 31
A new era in Giants history began when rookie Daniel Jones took over the starting quarterback job from Eli Manning. Jones had a storybook debut, rallying the Giants from an 18-point deficit to win the game on a quarterback keeper with 1:21 remaining in the quarter.
What most will ignore — or conveniently forget — is that Matt Gay’s 34-yard field goal attempt that would have won the game for Tampa, sailed wide right to give the Giants the win.
But Giants fans will revel in the legend more than the facts on this one and remember how the kid rose up and carried the team on his back for an impressive start to his career.
