New York Giants vs. New England Patriots: Matchup Will Be Defensive Battle

The New York Giants face off against the New England Patriots Sunday afternoon in what everyone is expecting to be an shootout but in reality it has all the makings of a defensive battle.

The Giants have had a few shaky outings this season. Notably a loss to the Seattle Seahawks at home, a lucky win against the Arizona Cardinals and a come from behind win last week against the Miami Dolphins.

The Patriots are coming off a tough loss in Pittsburgh to the Steelers in which they looked out of sync on both sides of the ball. Bill Belichick looked outmatched and out of his comfort zone making an uncharacteristic mistake late in the game not challenging a call essentially costing his team the game. 

This Sunday is sure to be the game of the week because in the NFL when two juggernauts come together you are bound to get a hard fought and ugly game decided by the two defenses.

Reason 1: Lack of Patriots Deep Threat vs. Poor Giants Cornerbacks

Tom Brady has 2,361 passing yards this season, fourth most in the NFL. Forty-two percent of those yards, 993, are yards after the catch. Everyone remembers the 99-yard play to Wes Welker, which of course factors into these numbers, but Brady truly has no deep threat.

On the other side of the ball, the Giants secondary (mainly their cornerbacks) are depleted and banged up. They lost Terrell Thomas and Brian Witherspoon at the beginning of the season and going into this week's matchup, Prince Amukamara is not at 100 percent and is limited in practice. 

What normally, despite the league's best pass-rush, is the Giants Achilles heel, won't be capitalized on this week. Brady doesn't have the vertical down the field weapons he used to have and he won't be able to pick apart the weakened secondary.

Reason 2: Stellar Coaching

No matter how you cut it, Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin are two of the league's best coaches. Both excel at all aspects of their field. They motivate well, they have their players prepared well each Sunday, and both have a great feel for the game.

As head coach they both understand the importance of this Sunday's matchup and the ramifications a loss can have on their seasons considering both of their respective divisions are heating up. 

This will be the first time Belichick and Coughlin stand across the field from each other since that unforgettable 2008 night in Arizona. Both coaches will be primed and ready to go and will want to make a statement by stopping the other team, as opposed to out-scoring them. 

Reason 3: Brady Appears Beatable

Tom Brady got the Pats off to a 2-0 start this year thanks to his superior play. In the first two games of the season he threw for 940 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. Week 3 was their first loss, and his first step back. He threw four touchdowns in a losing effort against Buffalo, but he also threw four interceptions very uncharacteristically.

Since the start of Week 3 (including the Buffalo game), Brady has thrown 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. A very mediocre ratio. He is of course still Tom Brady, his completion percentage and quarterback rating are still superb, but the offense is not quite clicking as it was early on in the season.

For five consecutive weeks they have scored fewer points than they did the previous week, the low point being last Sunday's 17 point outing.

The most interesting aspect of the struggling offense is that in back to back games, Brady has looked beatable. Rob Ryan and Dick LeBeau laid the foundation for ways to limit his success and beat the Pats.

Reason 4: Lack of a Running Game

Ahmad Bradshaw and "The Law Firm" BenJarvus Green-Ellis both suffered minor injuries in last Sunday's games. This will certainly limit their practice time this week in addition to their time on the field during the game in Foxborough. 

With all due to respect to both backs, even when they've been on the field this season they haven't had an immense impact on their teams success. More than anything this is due to a lack of carries, not a lack of performance.

Ellis averages 11.6 carries a game yet in his best game of the year against the Jets, he carried the ball 27 times for 136 yards meaning he has the ability to be successful. Bradshaw gets a bit more action, he carried the ball 15.9 times a game for just over four yards a carry.

Both backs have immense potential when fed the ball consistently. Both being slightly banged up going into Sunday's matchup means less carries, less complexity for both offenses and an easier time for the defenses. 

Reason 5: Giants League Leading Pass Rush

Tom Brady has been sacked 15 times this season, and been "hit" 33 times. In the last three weeks alone, he has been sacked 11 times, hit 19 times. The offensive line hasn't been doing their job and the defenses have been scheming appropriately. 

Enter the New York Giants defensive line. They lead the NFL in sacks, with 26 and considering how depleted the Giants secondary is it's a miracle they have the 11th ranked overall pass defense.

Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul have combined for 14 of those sacks and have been harassing quarterbacks all season long. The Patriots offensive line does not have enough to combat the two of them and the silent killer Justin Tuck. 

The Giants pass rush will disrupt Brady's rhythm all game long and will make it hard for the Pats to move the ball. They will be the X-factor Sunday.