The New England Patriots take on the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 4:25 P.M. ET.
Last week, the Patriots continued their unbeaten streak through their NFL schedule. Their latest drubbing came at the expense of the Washington Redskins. In the contest, the Patriots dominated time of possession, possessing the ball for over 37 minutes in the game.
The victory came at a high cost. The Patriots lost two key members to their offense. The biggest loss was Deon Lewis. The first year Patriot was having a breakout year. His acceleration and shiftiness had made him a matchup nightmare. The Patriots will use a combination of James White and Brandon Bolden to fill Lewis’ role.
Another huge loss is Sebastian Vollmer. The offensive tackle will not play this week because of concussion like symptoms. The offensive line was already thin before the loss of Vollmer. Going into week 10, the Patriots will have only five offensive linemen active.
Last week, the Giants took care of business against the Buccaneers. Eli Manning connected with Odell Beckham Jr. for 105 yards on nine receptions. The Patriots will have to find a way to limit Manning’s favorite target. This season, the Patriots have struggled to stop big receivers. Beckham Jr. has crazy athletic ability and if the Patriots’ top cornerback, Malcolm Butler, is in one-on-one coverage of Beckham Jr. then look for Manning to exploit this matchup.
A player to watch on New England this week is Brandon Bolden. While running back, James White, is a poor man’s Deon Lewis, a sneaky option in the passing game this week is Bolden. Last week, Bolden got wide open in the end-zone and caught a touchdown pass. He had one rush on the game and was only targeted four times. It’s more than likely that White will receive the majority of looks in the screen game, but Bolden is extremely durable and a smart player. He won’t make a lot of people miss, but given the right matchup he can have success.
A player to watch on New York this week is Shane Vereen. Last week, Beckham Jr. received 17 targets. That’s almost half of the Giants offensive targets. Outside of Manning, Beckham Jr. is the most important weapon for the Giants’ offense. That’s why Belichick will look to take away Beckham Jr. with Logan Ryan and a safety over the top and not single coverage. It will come as a shock if the Patriots try to cover Beckham one-on-one in man coverage. In the absence of Beckham Jr. another receiver will need to step up. Expect the former Patriot, Shane Vereen, to have a bigger role in the Giants’ offense.
In the Brady-Belichick era only one team has solved the Patriot puzzle – the New York Giants. Tom Coughlin has twice spurned the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Each contest between these two franchises has been close.
The Giants have gotten to Brady and the Patriots’ offense by disrupting the line of scrimmage and putting pressure on Brady to get rid of the ball. This season, Brady has gotten rid of the ball faster than at any other point in his career. The loss of Deon Lewis and the injury issues along the defensive line, however, make this game a tough matchup for the Patriots. Their weakness is playing right into the Giants strategy. The return of Jason Pierre-Paul will certainly help the Giants get pressure on Brady, but it will take more than pressure to beat the Patriots.
Giants Vs Patriots Betting Lines
BetOnline.ag has the Patriots as 7.5 point favorites in this game. The over/under on total points scored is 54.5. BetOnline is our top rated NFL sportsbook at the moment. You can read our full BetOnline review here.
My Pick
Time of possession will ultimately decide this game. The Patriots cannot allow the Giants to play keep away and dominate time of possession. The Patriots will make enough adjustments in the second half, and expect a motivated Tom Brady to exercise the demons with a Patriots victory.
Play: Patriots -7.5
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