New York Giants (2-10) at New England (10-2)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EST, ESPN.
BetMGM line: Patriots by 7 1/2.
Against the spread: Giants 7-5; Patriots 7-4-1.
Series record: Tied 7-7
Last meeting: Giants won 10-7 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Nov. 26, 2023.
Last week: Giants lost to Lions 34-27 in OT; Patriots beat Bengals 26-20.
Giants offense: overall (11), rush (9), pass (13), scoring (22)
Giants defense: overall (30), rush (32), pass (23), scoring (30)
Patriots offense: overall (8), rush (19), pass (6), scoring (7)
Patriots defense: overall (8), rush (2), pass (17), scoring (6)
Turnover differential: Giants minus-6; Patriots even.
QB Jaxson Dart. The rookie is expected to be back as the starting quarterback. He missed the past two games after suffering a concussion on Nov. 9 at Chicago. New York's offense looks reinvigorated since Mike Kafka took over as interim coach following the firing of Brian Daboll two weeks ago, even with journeyman Jameis Winston running it. Getting to see Dart let it fly should at least make things entertaining.
QB Drake Maye. The second-year standout enters this week first in the NFL with a 71.0 completion percentage. Tom Brady has the team record for a season: 68.9 in 2007. Maye also has eight games this season with at least two touchdown passes. The team record in a single season is 14 by Brady in 2011 and 2007. The NFL record is 15 by Peyton Manning (2013) and Dan Marino (1984).
Giants rushing attack vs. Patriots run defense. New England didn't allow an opposing running back to gain 50 yards for the first nine games this season on the way to becoming the NFL's top-ranked run defense. But the Patriots have regressed over the last three games, allowing three straight running backs to eclipse 50 yards. That includes allowing a season-high 107 to Cincinnati's Chase Brown. Next up is a New York rushing attack that's averaging 124.5 yards per game even after losing rookie Cam Skattebo for the season to an ankle injury.
Giants: Edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux missed the past two games with a shoulder injury. ... CB Paulson Adebo (knee) has been out for the past five weeks.
Patriots: Rookie LT Will Campbell, who left last week’s with a knee injury, was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. ... New England also expects to be without LG Jared Wilson (ankle). ... DT Khyiris Tonga is dealing with a chest injury. ... ST Brendan Schooler is also on the mend with an ankle injury.
The Giants last won at New England on Nov. 6, 2011. They beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl three months later. ... Kafka spent five months on the Patriots' roster as quarterback during the offseason from January-June 2013, but never played in a game for them. He was released when they signed Tim Tebow.
Dart threw for 10 touchdowns and three interceptions in his first six NFL starts. He was 19 of 29 for 242 yards against the Bears before his concussion. ... Winston started the past two games for the Giants and figures to back up Dart. ... WR Wan'Dale Robinson, a pending free agent, had a career-high 156 yards receiving last week at Detroit. ... The Giants have blown five double-digit leads on the road this season. ... Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen was fired 12 games into his second season. Kafka named outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen as the interim replacement. ... Brian Burns is second in the league in sacks with 13. ... A win this week would extend the Patriots’ winning streak to 10 straight. The Patriots have had streaks of at least 10 consecutive wins in a season three previous times in team history: a 12-game streak in 2003, 16 in 2007 and 10 in 2015. ... A victory would also give New England its 11th win of the season and its 22nd 11-win season since 1970, extending its mark for the most 11-win seasons during that time span. ... With a win, Mike Vrabel can become the third coach since 1970 to record a winning streak of 10 or more games in his first season with a team, joining Jim Caldwell (14 consecutive wins with Indianapolis in 2009) and Steve Mariucci (11 with San Francisco in 1997). ... The Patriots' defense is ranked second in the NFL to Jacksonville (83.8), allowing 87.7 yards rushing per game. New England's record for fewest yards rushing allowed per game since the NFL merger is 88.6 per game in 2016. ... If TE Hunter Henry has a 100-yard receiving game this week, it will be the first time in his career that he reached 100 in back-to-back games. ... Patriots third-string QB Tommy DeVito spent the first two seasons of his career with the Giants, becoming a fan favorite while going from an undrafted, third-string rookie quarterback to leading the team to some success. ... CB Marcus Jones has returned 74 punts for 1,003 yards, a 13.6-yard average. He needs one more return to qualify for the highest punt return average in NFL history. Jones is currently fifth in the NFL this season with a 14.6 punt return average. ... The Patriots will wear throwback uniforms worn from 1984-1992 and sporadically from 1994-2012. They wore the uniforms in their Week 3 loss to Pittsburgh. New England is 7-5 in throwback jerseys at home.
Following Henry’s seven-catch, 115-yard day last week, the Patriots have had four straight games with a 100-yard receiver. Henry joined wide receiver DeMario Douglas (100 yards vs. Atlanta on Nov. 2), receiver Mack Hollins (106 yards at Tampa Bay on Nov. 9 and receiver Stefon Diggs (105 yards vs. the New York Jets on No.v. 13). It's the first time the team has had a 100-yard receiver in four straight games since the 2018 season.
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