As if the 2020 season couldn’t get any more tumultuous for the New York Giants, they will face off against one of the best teams in the NFL Monday night. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are rising with legendary quarterback Tom Brady under center, and they are coming up two fantastic victories over the Las Vegas Raiders and Green Bay Packers.
On the other hand, the Giants are coming off a devastating loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, which they enabled a comeback in the waning moments. I’d be remiss not to mention the Evan Engram drop.
Tampa Bay represents the Giants’ biggest hurdle of the year, considering their top-10 offense and defense. Across-the-board, they win matchups, so the Giants will have to play to perfection if they want to compete against the Buccaneers.
On Friday, the coaching staff spoke with the media, and it was clear that they feared a dominant Tampa team, who has only been getting better with each and every week.
The New York Giants have their work cut out for them:
While the new schematics were difficult for Brady to grasp at the beginning of the season, he has already mastered the offense and is operating at an incredibly high-level.
Over the past two games, Brady has thrown six touchdowns and over 500 yards, throwing zero interceptions. His play is becoming more dominant by the week, especially after completing 73.3% of his passes against the Raiders. However, he will be without star receiver Chris Godwin — he suffered a fractured finger last week against the Raiders.
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Patrick Graham was JPP’s position coach with the Giants in 2016-17. Graham called JPP “a different human being walking among us.” True statement in every sense.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) October 30, 2020
The Giants remember former edge rusher Jason Pierre-Paul, and he is resurrecting himself with the Bucs once again. This year, JPP has 5.5 sacks and seven quarterback hits, playing at a Pro-Bowl caliber level.
The Giants know they will have to stop him if they want to move the ball downfield, but their tackles have been two of the worst in the NFL in pass blocking. Their challenge this week will surely expose weaknesses.
Joe Judge: "JPP's playing at a high level … obviously he's a guy you've gotta deal with."
— Big Blue View (@bigblueview) October 30, 2020
Patrick Graham: "We've got our work cut out for us" against the Bucs.
— Big Blue View (@bigblueview) October 30, 2020
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham understands the nature of this matchup — they simply have their work cut out for them.
The Buccaneers have the third-best offense in terms of points per game. In total yards, they rank 15th but have a far superior passing attack compared to theIr run game.
Joe Judge said what stands out about the Bucs' defense is it makes adjustments. That's a credit to DC Todd Bowles.
— Dan Salomone (@Dan_Salomone) October 30, 2020
Former head coach for the New York Jets, Todd Bowles is one of the best defensive coordinators in the game, and he has found an inevitable path to success with a dominant Buccaneers unit. With star players scattered across the roster, allowing them to play to their strengths has been easy, and the Giants’ offense will have their hands full on Monday night.
Defensively, the Buccaneers have the eighth-best defense in points per game, allowing 20.3. The Giants are averaging only 17.4 points, so that should give you an idea of how tough this matchup really is. In terms of yards, the Bucs rank third in yards allowed, with 291.3.
Jason Garrewtt: Bucs are "really good on defense." Says "the way they play leaps off the tape."
— Big Blue View (@bigblueview) October 30, 2020