Bucs (5-2) at Giants (1-6)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J. TV: ESPN
Danny Sheridan’s line: Buccaneers by 11
Giants’ keys to victory: Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham must devise a game plan that results in relentless pressure on Bucs QB Tom Brady. Offensively, New York must find some combination along the offensive line to keep QB Daniel Jones upright. LT Andrew Thomas will be lining up across from LB Jason Pierre-Paul, which is a one-on-one nightmare. RB Wayne Gallman is the team’s top pass protector at the position, so he’ll need to see an increased role, as will blocking TE Levine Toilolo.
Buccaneers’ keys to victory: The Giants have struggled to win the time of possession battle, and with a heavy focus on pressuring Brady, it will provide Tampa Bay an opportunity to ride RB Ronald Jones. If a ground game can be established, it will pull S Jabrill Peppers into the box, leaving WRs Mike Evans and Antonio Brown in one-on-one situations. Defensively, the Giants’ offensive line has been atrocious, so expect defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to exploit that, especially on the left side, with a wide variety of overloads, stunts and blitzes.
Matchup to watch: CB Ryan Lewis vs. WR Antonio Brown. Lewis will have to cover Brown in his first game back since Week 2 in 2019. If Brown shows up without rust, it could be a long night.
Who wins? As well as the Giants’ defense has played this season, they’ve not come up against an offense with the sheer amount of weapons Tampa Bay has at its disposal. Given New York’s struggles to score, this is the Giants’ most unbalanced game to date and the score may well reflect that. Buccaneers 31-17