1. PASS IT TO PAUL

TAMPA, Fla. – The Giants just need a win. One will do. Jerry Reese and Ben McAdoo need one to validate their respective approaches as GM and head coach. Odell Beckham Jr. needs one to swing the narrative off of his immaturity. And these 0-3 Giants need one Sunday over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) at Raymond James Stadium if they truly wish to make the case that this season is not, in fact, over already.

The Giants feel like they gained momentum in Week 3’s second half in Philadelphia, but they have to recover immediately from the gut punch 61-yard Eagles field goal that buried them in the NFC East basement in order to bring their best against the Bucs.

Here are 10 keys if the Giants wish to come out of Tampa a winner:

The Giants need to get Paul Perkins going badly (23 carries, 48 yards, 2.1 average), and running backs have carved up Tampa Bay’s defense as receivers: first Chicago’s Tarik Cohen with eight catches for 55 yards, then Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook with five catches for 72. The Bucs could be without two key linebackers in Kwon Alexander and Lavonte David, and Perkins does damage in the open field. His first NFL reception last season was a 67-yard screen pass, and Perkins’ father, Bruce, played running back for the Bucs in 1990, four years before Paul was born. Injuries to Shane Vereen (calf) and Orleans Darkwa (back) make it more pressing that Perkins breaks out of his sluggish start. And his matchup should favor the Giants. “We’re gonna take advantage of all the mismatches we can, whether it be me or any of the other running backs,” Perkins said.