New York Giants vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: What's the Game Plan for New York?
The Giants will be hungry to avenge their gut-wrenching loss against the New Orleans Saints this weekend against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that is coming off an impressive road win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Will determination be enough for the talent-stricken Giants to pull out a victory on the road on Sunday, or will the young core of the Bucs be able to squander their hopes and aspirations?
If the Philadelphia Eagles or Washington Redskins win and the Giants lose, there will be a tie atop the NFC East division, which should really just forfeit its right to send a team to the postseason.
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Here's a look at the game plan for the Giants and what they need to do in order to win on Sunday.
Offensive Game Plan
Shane Vereen Needs Eight Targets
With the first half of the season in the books, it has become apparent the Giants have no running game. They do, however, have a major weapon in their backfield.
Shane Vereen has been excellent this season and should be heavily targeted on Sunday, with wide receiver Rueben Randle listed as questionable to play due to a hamstring injury.
Vereen had eight catches for 60 yards and a touchdown last week against the Saints and should be quarterback Eli Manning's safety net in the passing game on Sunday. With tight end Larry Donnell out, the Giants are going to need all the help they can get.
In the three games Vereen was targeted eight or more times, he hauled in 24 of 25 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Vereen has the ability to make plays but his mere presence as a threat out of the backfield will make the Bucs defense have to pay attention to him, potentially opening up room for Odell Beckham Jr.
Target Odell Beckham Early
Speaking of Odell Beckham Jr., is there ever a week in which he isn't part of the offensive game plan?
Beckham has solidified his spot among the NFL's best receivers and may actually be at the top of the list. With half of the season complete, Beckham is officially on pace to top last season's incredible totals for targets, receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.
Beckham needs to be the focal point from the very first drive, with Manning slinging the ball his way. It's likely the Bucs will game-plan to stop him, but if he hauls in a few passes right away they will have to blanket him even further, allowing Dwayne Harris to get more one-on-one coverage.
Defensive Game Plan
Stop Doug Martin
After a huge rookie season, Doug Martin faded into oblivion with two sub-500-yard years.
He's back this year, however, as his 612 rushing yards rank No. 4 in the NFL. It may be hard to trust Martin, but he's topped 100 yards in three of his last four games and has also caught all 15 of his targets this season.
If underestimated, he can make the Giants pay in a multitude of ways.
Last week, the Giants were lucky the Saints only ran the ball 16 times with Mark Ingram, who averaged five yards per carry. The Bucs will certainly feed Martin, making him a huge key to the game.
Force Jameis Winston into Mistakes
Whether Jason Pierre-Paul is on the field on Sunday or not, the Giants have to figure out a way to get more pressure on the opposing quarterback.
Although more blitzing was a hot talking point after last Sunday's thrashing in New Orleans. It's nearly impossible with the personnel the Giants have on defense. The Giants have proven they have no defensive linemen who can create pressure, a weak linebacker corps that is always injured and an average secondary missing a starting corner in Prince Amukamara. How can you blitz?
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has to figure something out, though. That much is certain. What are the odds he can lure Michael Strahan out of retirement? No?
Bucs QB Jameis Winston hasn't been great this year, but he hasn't been bad enough to overlook, either. He has, however, totaled nine turnovers in seven games (seven interceptions, two fumbles).
If pressured, hit and bothered, it's possible the rookie makes a few mistakes leading to turnovers. If the Giants can force some takeaways they'll have a much better shot of leaving Tampa happy.
Key Players and Matchups
Jonathan Casillas
If you guessed Jonathan Casillas would be listed as a key player, congratulations, you win.
It may sound crazy given the fact he's a 28-year-old whose career-high in tackles is 30 over his six seasons.
Still, Casillas will need to step up with starters Jon Beason and J.T. Thomas ruled out. He led Giants linebackers with four tackles last Sunday against the Saints and with Uani 'Unga listed as questionable, the group could be razor thin this weekend.
Someone has to take charge in the middle of the field and Casillas was given a three-year, $10.5 million deal in the offseason.
Dwayne Harris
Dwayne Harris has already set a career-high with 18 receptions this season and only needs two yards receiving this weekend to break his career-best 222 yards, set in his rookie season in Dallas.
He's by no means a reliable option, hauling in 60 percent of his targets in his career and totaling six touchdown catches in 60 games. Still, desperate times call for desperate measures.
With Victor Cruz still sidelined and Rueben Randle questionable, Harris may be the No. 2 receiver on Sunday.
He's coming off his first career two-touchdown game, so maybe Harris has turned a corner and can be a true weapon for the Giants. They're going to need him to contribute against the Bucs.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins
While wideout Vincent Jackson will miss Sunday's game with a knee injury, it is likely explosive tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins will play.
The second-year tight end practiced in full on Friday and is officially listed as questionable against the Giants.
Seferian-Jenkins played one full game this season in Week 1 and hauled in five passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He proved he had chemistry with Winston, who targeted him seven times on the afternoon.
The Giants have given up 57 catches, 679 yards and five touchdowns to tight ends this season. Expect those numbers to escalate if Seferian-Jenkins plays, as he should be heavily targeted without Jackson in the lineup.
Prediction
At this point, there's really no reason to believe the Giants will win any game.
In their last home game, they scraped by a Cowboys team without Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, and last week they lost a game in which Manning threw for six touchdowns and they scored 49 points.
It has become clear the Giants are a mediocre team when fully healthy, and when less than 100 percent, as they certainly will be this Sunday, they aren't very good at all. They find ways to lose close games late in the fourth quarter and though they could be much better given their close losses, they're sitting at 4-4.
Jameis Winston will be the first to tell you he isn't Drew Brees, but the Bucs aren't going to need 500 yards passing to steal this win.
Though they have capable weapons to destroy the Giants' weak secondary in Mike Evans and Seferian-Jenkins, Doug Martin will be able to move the chains on the ground and keep the ball out of Manning's hands.
If Alterraun Verner can provide tough coverage on Odell Beckham Jr., the Giants' one-dimensional offense will struggle given their lack of healthy game-changers.
Bucs 26, Giants 20
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