MORSE Week 14 Preview of the New York Giants
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The New York Giants fired Head Coach Brian Daboll on November 10th after going 2-8 to start the season. They promoted Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka. In their last two games, they have lost two high-scoring games by a TD each, pushing Detroit into OT. They are going to give the Patriots trouble on Monday Night.
The Giants’ Offense is ranked 11th, putting up 348.5 yards per game. The Passing Offense is 13th with 224 yards per game. When they run the ball, they are ranked 9th with 124.5 yards per game. Scorin,g they are ranked 22nd with 22 points per game. In the Red Zone, they are weak, ranking 29th with 47.6%. On 3rd down, they rank 10th at 41.5%.
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| QB | Jaxson Dart Q | Jameis Winston | Russell Wilson | – |
| RB | Tyrone Tracy | Devin Singletary | Eric Gray | Cam Skattebo IR |
| WR | Wan’Dale Robinson | Gunner Olszewski | Beaux Collins IR | |
| WR | Darius Slayton | Jalin Hyatt | Bryce Ford-Wheaton IR | |
| WR | Isaiah Hodgins | Malik Nabers IR | Da’Quan Felton IR | – |
| TE | Theo Johnson | Daniel Bellinger | Chris Manhertz | Thomas Fidone IR |
| LT | Andrew Thomas | Marcus Mbow | James Hudson | Joshua Ezeudu IR |
| LG | Jon Runyan | Aaron Stinnie | Joshua Ezeudu IR | |
| C | John Michael Schmitz Jr. | Austin Schlottmann | – | |
| RG | Greg Van Roten | Aaron Stinnie | Evan Neal | |
| RT | Jermaine Eluemunor | Marcus Mbow |
Rookie Jackson Dart is having a good season. In his 9 starts he is completing 62.7% of his passes for an average of 157.4 yards per game. His 10 TDs to just 3 INTs is a very good ratio for a rookie. Dart is a threat to run, having carried the ball 57 times for 317 yards and 7 TDs. Dart is listed as Questionable. Jameis Winston started last week against Detroit and had a very good game. He completed 18 of 36 passes for 366 yards, 2 TDs, and an INT. The Giants threw a flea-flicker 33-yard TD pass from former Patriot Gunner Olszewski to Winston.
Wan’Dale Robinson had a great game versus the Lions with 9 receptions for 156 yards and a TD. For the season, he has 66 catches on 102 targets for 794 yards, 12 YPC, and 3 TDs. Darius Slayton has 24 receptions on 36 targets for 366 yards and 0 TDs in just nine games. Beyond these two receivers, there isn’t much in Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Isaiah Hodgins, Gunner Olszewski, and Beaux Collins.
Tyrone Tracy is now the lead back with Cam Skattebo out. Tracy has run the ball 103 times for 398 yards, 3.9 YPC, and 1 TD. Tracy is a receiving threat with 21 receptions on 30 targets for 206 yards, 9.8 YPC, and 0 TDs. His backup is the veteran, Devin Singletary. For the season, he has 74 carries, 238 yards, 3.2 YPC, and 2 TDs. Receiving he has 9 catches on10 targets for 92 yards, 10.2 YPC, and 1 TD.
Tight End Theo Johnson is a threat. The Patriots are not good at covering the opponents TEs this season. Johnson is the second leading receiver on the team with 39 catches on 60 targets for 427 yards, 10.9 YP,C and 5 TDs. Dan Bellinger has contributed as well with 12 catches on 17 targets for 202 yards, 16.8 YPC and 1 TD.
The Giants Offensive line is anchored by Left Tackle Andrew Thomas. The 2nd Team All-Pro Tackle stands 6’5”, 315 pounds, and played at Georgia. In the 2020 Draft, Thomas was selected by the Giants in the 1st Round (4). His PFF grade is 84.8, 5th amongst all Tackles. He has given up just 1 Sack, 2 QB Hits, 8 Hurries and 11 Pressures. Left Guard is Jon Runyan, a 6’4” 307-pound lineman out of Michigan. He was selected in the 2020 Draft by Green Bay in the 6th Round (192). His PFF grade is 52.6, 61st amongst Guards. For the season, he has given up 2 Sacks, 5 QB Hits, 19 Hurries, and 26 Pressures.
At Center is John Michael Schmitz. The 6’3”, 310-pound Center out of Minnesota was selected by the Giants in the 2023 Draft, 2nd round (58). His PFF grade is 61.4, good for 24th amongst the Centers. For the season, he has given up 1 Sack, 1 QB Hit, 10 Hurries, and 12 Pressures. Right Guard is the ancient warrior, Greg Van Roten. The 6’3”, 305-pound Guard is nearly 36 years old. The Pennsylvania product came into the league in 2012 as an Undrafted Free Agent with Green Bay. His PFF grade is 62.2, good for 81st amongst Guards. The Right Tackle is a former Patriot (2020 -2021), Jermaine Eluemunor. The 6’4”, 330-pound Tackle played at Texas A&M and was a 2017 Draft 5th round pick (159) by Baltimore. His PFF grade is 61.7, good for 50th amongst Tackles. On the season, he has given up 4 Sacks, 3 QB Hits, 9 Hurries, and 16 Pressures. Former 1st-round pick Evan Neal has been a bust and is relegated to 3rd-string OG.
Giants fired Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen
Bowen is a friend Head Coach Mike Vrabel, look for Bowen to get a spot on the Patriots coaching staff. In the interim, the Giants promoted Charlie Bullen. This from Mike Giradi of Boston Sports Journal “He was the team’s outside linebackers coach and had never called a defense before. Bullen comes from the Vance Joseph tree. If you’ve watched his Denver defenses over the last few seasons, they love to blitz. And interim head coach Mike Kafka appeared to have green-lit that approach during what little time he had with Bowen.” Drake Maye was only 3-10 against the blitz last week.
The Giant’s Defense is ranked 30th, giving up 385 points a game. Their Pass Defense is ranked 23rd, with 227.8 yards a game. Run Defense is ranked 32nd, giving up 157.2 yards a game. Scoring, they are 30th at 27.8 Points Per Game. In the Red Zone, they are 31st (just ahead of the Patriots) at 71.4%. Third Down Defense is 21st at 40.1%.
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| LDE | Rakeem Nunez-Roches | – | – | – |
| NT | Dexter Lawrence | D.J. Davidson | – | – |
| RDE | Roy Robertson- Harris | Darius Alexander | ||
| WLB | Brian Burns | Abdul Carter | Victor Dimukeje | – |
| LILB | Bobby Okereke | Neville Hewitt | Chris Board IR | |
| RILB | Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles Q | Zaire Barnes | Micah McFadden IR | Darius Muasau IR |
| SLB | Kayvon Thibodeaux Q | Chauncey Golston | – | – |
| LCB | Paulson Adebo Q | Rico Payton | Art Green IR | – |
| SS | Tyler Nubin Q | Dane Belton | – | – |
| FS | Jevon Holland | Beau Brade | Anthony Johnson O | – |
| RCB | Cor’Dale Flott | Korie Black | Jarrick Bernard-Converse | – |
| NB | Deonte Banks Q | Dru Phillips | Nic Jones | TJ Moore IR |
LDT is Rakeem Nunez-Roches, an effective veteran playing in his 10th season in the league. The 6’2” 307-pound DT is a little undersized. He played at Southern Mississippi and was drafted in 2015 6th round (217) by KC. His PFF grade is 55.6 good for 78th amongst DTs. For the season he has 22 Tackles. 3 Sacks, 1 QB Hit and 4 Hurries. Dexter Lawrence is a beast at the Nose Tackle position. The 6’4” 342-pound NT played at Clemson and was drafted in the 2019 Draft by the Giants with their 1st pick (17). His PFF grade is 75.2 which is 12th amongst all DTs. For the season he has made 24 Tackles, 0 Sacks, 6 QB Hits, and 19 Hurries. RDT is Roy Robertson-Harris. RRH is 6’5”, 290-pounds and played at U Texas – El Paso. His PFF grade is 49.9 good for 107th. For the season he has 19Tackles, 0 Sacks, 6 QB Hits, and 8 Hurries. Darius Alexander is the top backup. The rookie was a player I had my eye on for the Patriots. The 6’4” 310-pound DT played at Toledo and was the Giants 3rd round’s selection (65) in this year draft. His PFF grade has been a disappointing 40.4 and he is ranked 112nd amongst DTs. He has the 2nd lowest grade as a run stopper, which means he can’t stop the run. On the season he has 13 Tackles, 3 Sacks, 1 QB Hit, and 6 Hurries.
Linebackers are the strength of the Defense. They put a lot of pressure on the QBs, although they have just one more sack as a team than the Patriots. The Giants are ranked 15th with 26 Sacks. The leader of the pack is Brian Burns. The 6’5”, 250-pound Edge played for Florida State and was selected in the 2019 Draft by Carolina 1st Round (16). His PFF grade is 76.7 good for 24 amongst all Edge players. On the season he has 54 Tackles, 13 Sacks, 9 QB Hits, and 19 Hurries. Burns is a 2x Pro-Bowl selection. His 13 sacks are 2nd only to Myles Garrett. He is going to be a big problem this week and we should see TEs staying in to help double team him. Lowe and Brown need to be prepared for games and twists from Burns. Bobby Okereke is a very good veteran inside linebacker. The 6’1”, 235-pound backer played at Stanford and was selected in the 2019 Draft, 3rd round (89) by Indianapolis. His PFF grade is 55.2 good for 58th amongst LBs. For the season he leads the team with 103 Tackles. 1 Sack, 2 QB Hits, and 4 Hurries. Demetrious Flannigan-Fowles (that’s a mouthful) is the other Inside backer. The 6’2” 223-pound Backer played at Arizona and was a 2019 UDFA signed by San Francisco. His PFF grade is very low 36.6 and doesn’t have enough snaps to qualify for a ranking. He is taking the spot of Darius Muasau who is on IR.
The Strongside Linebacker is no slouch either. Keyvon Thibodeaux was a player I had hoped the Patriots would go after at the Trade Deadline. The 6’5”, 258-pound Edge played at Oregon and was selected in the 2022 Draft 1st round (4) by the Giants. His PFF grade is 66 good for 56th amongst Edge players. On the season he has 25 Tackles, 3 Sacks, 6 QB Hits, and 26 Hurries. Thibodeaux is listed as Questionable before the 1st Injury report is due Thursday. If Thibodeaux can’t go, Chauncey Colston might replace him on early downs. I must include the player the Giants chose just ahead of the Patriots, Edge Abdul Carter. The Giants can afford to play Carter in pass rush situations only because they have such outstanding starters at the same position. The 6’3” 252-pound Edge played at Penn State and was taken with the 3rd overall pick by the Gmen. His PFF grade is 64.7 good for 60th. On the year he has 27 Tackles, 1 Sack, 11 QB Hits, and 26 Hurries.
The Giants’ secondary is a bit banged up with 3 starters listed as Questionable. Paulson Adebo is one of those players. The LCB stands 6’1”, 192 pounds out of Stanford. He was selected in the 2021 Draft 3rd round (71) by New Orleans. His PFF grade is 94 of 110 CBs. For the season, he has 48 Tackles, 0 Sacks, QB Hits, Hurries, or INTs. SS Tyler Nubin is also listed as Questionable. He measures 6’1”, 210 pounds, and played at Minnesota. He was the Giants’ 2024 2nd round selection (47). His PFF grade is 76th of 94 Safeties. For the season, he has 58 Tackles, 0 Sacks, 0 QB Hits, 3 Hurries, and 0 INTs. Former Miami Dolphin Jevon Holland is the FS. He is a good one. The 6’1” 210-pound Safety played at Oregon and was taken by the Phins in the 2021 Draft, 2nd round (36). His PFF grade is 56.1, 72nd of 94 Safeties. On the season, he has 43 Tackles, 0 sacks, QB Hits and Hurries, and 1 INT.
Cor’Dale Flott is the starting RCB. The 6’1” 175-pound DB out of LSU was drafted by the Giants in the 2022 draft 3rd round (83). His PFF grade is the highest in the Giants’ secondary at 69.6, 24th of 110 CBs. On the season, he has 32 Tackles, 0 sacks, QB Hits and Hurries, and 1 INT. Deonte Banks is also listed as Questionable, which may actually be a good thing for the Giants. Banks is their worst DB according to PFF. The 6’1”, 205-pound DB out of Maryland has great speed but lacks the other instincts to play the Nickel Back position. In the 2023 Draft, Banks was the Giants 1st first-round selection (25). His PFF grade is 44.8, 109th of 110 CBs. On the season he has 23 Tackles and 0 sacks, QB Hits and Hurries, or INT. I would like our matchup of Banks against Stefon Diggs.
His replacement would likely be Dru Phillips. The 6’, 187-pound DB from Kentucky was drafted by the Giants in the 2024 draft 3rd round (70). His PFF grade is 68th of 110 CBs. On the season he has 50 Tackles, 0 Sacks, 0 QB Hits, 0 Hurries, and 2 INTs. Dane Belton is a backup Safety who is likely to play for Nubin if he can’t go. The 6’1”, 205-pound Safety out of Iowa was selected by the Giants in the 2022 draft 4th round (119). His PFFG grade is 52.2 good for 82nd of 94 Safeties. For the season he has 78 Tackles, 0 Sacks, 0 QB Hits, 1 Hurry and 0 INT. As you can see, the Giants have invested heavy draft capital into their secondary. Five of the 7 players I mentioned have been drafted between the 1st and 4th rounds.
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| PK | Younghoe Koo | Graham Gano IR | – | – |
| P | Jamie Gillan | |||
| H | Jamie Gillan | Wan’Dale Robinson | – | – |
| PR | Gunner Olszewski | Eric Gray | Devin Singletary | Jalin Hyatt |
| KR | Gunner Olszewski | – | – | |
| LS | Casey Kreiter |
I measure the Punters in the league by their Net Yards per Punt. Jamie Gillan is only averaging 39.2 net yards which is 27th in the league. Younghoe Koo was let go by Atlanta earlier in the year and then latched on to the Giants when Graham Gano got hurt. Koo has made 6 of 7 FGs and 9 of 10 Extra Points. I don’t usually mention the Holders because almost every team has the punter do the holding. However, I noticed the Giants Depth Chart had WR Wan’Dale Robinson listed as the 2nd string Holder. Could Robinson be used in some kind of trick play as a holder on a fake FG? Former Patriot, Gunner Olszewski is the Punt Returner and Kickoff Returner. He is fearless and flies up the field. On his Punt Returns, he is ranked 14th with 8.7 YPR. On Kickoffs he is 5th averaging 27.9 YPR.
The Patriots announced on Wednesday they are putting LT Will Campbell on Injured Reserve. Campbell will need to be on IR for 4 games. The earliest he can come back will be the final game of the season versus the Miami Dolphins.
To replace Campbell on the 53-man roster CB Miles Battle has been elevated from the Patriots Practice Squad. This move replaces the loss of Alex Austin who was also placed on IR earlier in the week.
Battle’s spot on the Practice Squad was taken by Brandon Crossley who was on the Patriots Practice Squad most of the 2024 season and in training camp up until the final cuts.
This from Patriots.com:
Battle, 25, originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs on May 5, 2024, out of Utah. The 6-foot-3, 197-pounder, was released by Kansas City after training camp and was signed by New England to the practice squad on Oct. 15, 2024. He was signed by New England to the 53-man roster from the practice squad on Jan. 4, 2025, and played in his first NFL game in the season-finale vs. Buffalo (1/5), finishing with 2 tackles and 3 passes defensed. Battle was released by New England at the end of training camp this past summer and was then signed to the practice squad. Battle was elevated to the active roster for the game at Tennessee on Oct. 19 and saw action on special teams.
Crossley, 24, was originally signed by New England as a rookie free agent on May 9, 2025, out of Southern Methodist. The 5-foot-11, 186-pounder, was released on Aug. 26, signed to the practice squad on Aug. 27 and released from the practice squad on Aug. 28. Crossley began his college career at Colorado State for one season (2019) before transferring to SMU (2020-24). He registered 146 total tackles; 6 interceptions and 30 passes defended during his college career.
I’m having a tough time coming up with a prediction. This will be a test of how well their backup players can step up, as the Next Man Up. How will the Patriots perform in the key matchups?
Vederian Lowe versus Brian Burns – Burns is 2nd in the league with 13 sacks. He cannot do it alone. Hunter Henry has got to do a better job chipping the Edge rusher and allowing Lowe to set himself. The Giants will play games up front and expect every twist they have in the bag of tricks.
Charlie Bullen vs Josh McDaniels – This is Bullen’s 1st game as Defensive Coordinator. He has no track record other than he came from the Vance Joseph coaching tree. The Giants like to blitz. Drake May up until last week had handled the blitz well and made other teams pay. Last week he was 3-10 when he blitzed.
Patriots MUST Run – The Giants are the worst team in the league against the run. It is imperative that the Patriots be able to run the ball. If you want to keep the linebackers at home and not blitzing then run the ball right at them and overpower them.
Giants Secondary vs Patriots Receivers – I am shocked at how bad the Giants secondary is considering how much draft capital the team has spent on them. They have used a 1st, 2nd, two 3rd, and a 4th on 5 of the 7 DBs I highlighted. I think it’s a favorable matchup of the Patriots slot receiver (Diggs, Douglas or Hollins) versus whoever the Giants put there. Deonte Banks has great speed but no instincts to play CB.
Dart or Winston – Each has their attributes, but Dart’s running ability and 7 TDs rushing bother me. Everyone saw what Fields did to us, and Dart can do the same things. They need to run a spy on Dart and be disciplined in their rush lanes, containing Dart in the pocket.
Special Teams, Penalties, and Turnovers – Perhaps the patriots can get a contribution from Special Teams. I believe the NE ST is better than the Giants. Borregales has become a steady kicker with 4 FGs last week. Koo has come along but I think he is not in the same discussion as Borregales. The Patriots have to be disciplined and stop the stupid penalties. I expect this to be a close game and penalties can be the difference.
Marcus Jones versus Wan’Dale Robinson – This is the key matchup. Robinson plays in the slot exclusively. He is a quick and a very good receiver. Last week he had 9 catches for 156 yards and a TD. Jones can be a shutdown DB. I expect he will have help over the top.
Final Score Patriots 23 – Giants 21. I expect a relative low scoring game. The Patriots just can’t allow the Giants to march down the field with the opening possession and score. They are untested in coming back in the 4th Quarter.
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