Giants Country

New York Giants - New England Patriots Matchups to Watch

The Giants need a strong showing across the board to avoid yet another loss, but in particular, they could use wins in these two matchups.

Hunter De Siver

New York Giants - New England Patriots Matchups to Watch
New York Giants - New England Patriots Matchups to Watch /
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The New York Giants will face the New England Patriots in Week 12, hoping to win their second consecutive game.

This battle has several talented players matched against one another, making for some great entertainment. Still, these two particular matchups are among the key ones that could influence Sunday's outcome.

When the Giants Have the Ball

Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito shined in his second career start against the Washington Commanders last week, but can he do it again against the Patriots?

Going into last Sunday's game, the Commanders were in the bottom tier of the NFL in practically every passing defensive stat category. The Patriots aren't the best in the league as a passing defense, but they're also far from the worst.

Patriots first-round rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez started his career on the right foot, as he was emerging as a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate just a couple of games into the season. However, he suffered a torn labrum in Week 4, and it's sidelined him ever since.

Although he doesn't play the same position as Gonzalez, safety Kyle Dugger has stepped up in his place. The 27-year-old is top-3 on the team in tackles, tackles for loss, pass breakups, and interceptions.

The Giants' receiving corps has yet to do much this season, as the top pass-catcher has just north of 400 yards. Dugger is certainly capable of keeping this group in check and limiting DeVito from creating explosive plays.

Additionally, Dugger has shown that he's effective when blitzing, as applying pressure on the team that's allowed by far the most sacks in the NFL this season may not be as challenging as it normally is.

That said, he didn't show it much last week, but in the past, DeVito has been a bit too quick to leave the pocket and run the ball himself. This strategy hasn't exactly worked out in his favor, and Dugger would most likely win these battles if DeVito runs toward him.

However, if DeVito is poised and makes smart decisions away from Dugger, he and the Giants' offense could shine again.

When the Patriots Have the Ball

Like the Giants, the Patriots haven't had much excitement this season, especially on the offensive side of the ball. It seems like quarterback Mac Jones is on the verge of moving down the depth chart every week, and the Patriots still haven't named a starter for Sunday's matchup.

With all the uncertainty at quarterback, the offense's production will likely fall into the hands of running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott. The latter joined the Patriots before the season despite Stevenson being commonly placed as a breakout candidate.

Nevertheless, they are utilized for different purposes and will be two players the Giants must watch. Stevenson is well ahead through the air and ground, but he only has two more first downs than Elliott.

New England sometimes uses Elliott for second, third, and fourth-and-short. He'll typically carry the ball up the middle to move the chains--as he's done 23 times this season--and it hasn't been that easy to stop.

However, Giants linebacker Micah McFadden does a very solid job of preventing opposing running backs from moving a step forward, as he leads New York in tackles for loss with 10. The former fifth-round pick is having quite the sophomore campaign, as he's one of just 19 defensive players with double-digit tackles for loss this season.

Stopping Elliott a couple of times on those 50-50 chain-moving snaps could provide momentum for New York, but as previously stated, Stevenson gets more time on the field. That said, the Giants have another linebacker that could help out.

Bobby Okereke is stellar at stopping running backs a split second after the ball is handed to them, as he's at the top of the league in a combined stat consisting of tackles for loss and no gain.

It appears that the Giants have struck gold with the free agent signing of Okereke this offseason, as he leads the team in tackles (105) and is second in tackles for loss (9). He's in the top 10 in the NFL for both of these stat categories.

Okereke should have the upside in stopping Stevenson on the ground, but through the air is perhaps a more difficult challenge. The linebacker has the second-most pass breakups on the team (6), which will help when Stevenson has routes over the middle. But the running back is only five receptions away from the team lead, as Jones often checks the ball down to Stevenson before around the point that he crosses the line of scrimmage.

In these cases, Okereke must be fast enough to reach Stevenson before he breaks loose. If the linebacker succeeds, the Patriots offense will have much more trouble moving the ball downfield.

One thing preventing this from happening is that Okereke isn't 100 percent healthy from a hip/rib injury just yet. He didn't participate in Wednesday's practice but was limited on Thursday.

If Okereke's good to go, he and McFadden can doom the Patriots offense by shutting Stevenson and Elliott down.

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Hunter De Siver
HUNTER DE SIVER

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