People so snakebitten by the Giants....Yes, they beat us in the Super Bowl twice, both crushing losses, but they both were by a total of 7 points....It's not like they destroyed us.
In 2007, they were tough no doubt. In 2011 they arguably had a better team, they just under achieved in a tougher NFC. But this year it's not even close.
They just lost their best DT, got one of the worst secondaries in the NFL and their O-Line is mediocre at best.
This game will be a blowout.
I'm nervous about this one. The Patriots just lost Dion Lewis and are looking at an offensive line of one rookie center lined up with four guards. No tackles changes the equation dramatically. If you can't protect the edge, the QB is at greater risk on every passing play, and when you run, you're forced to run inside.
Jason Pierre-Paul had a good outing against the Bucs and a mobile QB. The Gianst will get better as he rounds into shape and they can speed up their pass rush. The other DE is Robert Ayers or Cullen Jenkins. Jenkins doesn't have a lot in the tank, but Ayers is outstanding.
The secondary of the Giants looks awful, but it all fits together. Brees picked Rodgers-Chromartie and Amakamura apart in that flag football game in New Orleans, but a better pass rush this week against the Patriots makeshift line will help those guys.
Playing without starting tackles and using guards outside begs for increased reliance on the running game. That is hugely diminished without Lewis. Blount will be forced inside, although I expect the Patriots will test Pierre-Paul by pulling and running right at him to wear him down and take advantage of his inability to grasp the runner.
We saw our first three TE formation against the Redskins for blocking purposes to place some big bodies outside the interior line. The more that TEs have to stay in to block, the more guys the other team can load into the box, and send at the pocket. It's simple math.
Finally, the Patriots managed "only" 27 points at home, and now they go on the road against a team that is getting its pass rush organized, and is a top three scoring offense.
The Giants are 3rd in the NFL in points per game at 27.5, the best of any team the Patriots have seen so far. Eli's having a good season with only six picks in 340 throws. Eli is 29th in sacks with 12 (Brady's been sacked 18 times.) He's getting good protection and has terrific receivers to throw to, especially OBJ. Beckham is going to test Butler more than anybody he's faced so far. Even when he's covered he makes the catch. Ruben Randle is having a good season.
The Giants are overlooked because they play in a crappy division and have been so inconsistent as they aways are in the first half of the season. They're a step up from the Redskins and definitely not a gimme on the road.
