5 Storylines Ahead of New York Giants Week 13 Tilt Against New England Patriots

It’s been a long season for the New York Giants.

Besides the losing streak, which is six games, the Giants are heading into Week 13 as one of the last teams yet to have a bye, which they’ll get after they face the surging New England Patriots, winners of their last nine straight.

The tilt will take place on Monday Night Football. It is the 15th meeting between the teams (including postseason) since 1970, with the Patriots leading the regular-season series 7-5 and the Giants leading the postseason meetings 2-0.

The Giants won the most recent regular-season game by a score of 10-7 on November 25, 2023, at MetLife Stadium. What’s on the docket for them this week? Let’s dive into some of the biggest storylines.

Defensive Differences

Linebacker Brian Burns works with outside linebacker coach, now interim defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen. | Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen begins his mini audition for a future role as a full-time defensive coordinator this week, and much like head coach Mike Kafka, there’s only so much Bullen can do in terms of making wholesale changes to the scheme and personnel.

But what he can do is look to simplify things to take some of the stress off the players, particularly in the back end of the defense, where injuries continue to force the Giants to call on guys further down the depth chart, and place more of an emphasis on the fundamentals such as tackling and shedding blocks which has been missing on a consistent basis of late.

“I have a lot of faith in Charlie and the things that he's brought from the pedigree that he brings coming into this defense,” interim head coach Mike Kafka said on Monday after announcing the switch.

“I think he's a smart coach. I think he's detailed, aggressive, and his room has had a lot of production. I think he's ready for the task, and I know he is. And so he's going to jump in, he's meeting with the staff right now, and these guys will get rolling for him.”

If Kafka is to have the interim part of his title removed with this team going forward, he’s going to need the defense to tighten things up and stop blowing 10+-point leads late in the game and being gouged on the ground, as has been the case this year.

Jaxson Dart’s Status

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

When we last left rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, he had not cleared the final step of the concussion protocol in time for the issuance of last week’s final status report.

But Dart, who has been making progress every day, did travel with the team to Detroit despite having been declared out, a positive sign, as if he were still dealing with the ill-effects of the concussion he suffered two weeks prior, the team’s medical staff likely would have left him at home to continue his recovery.

Dart, who is still int the protocol as per interim head coach Mike Kafka, still needs to be cleared by an independent neurological consultant.

If Dart does indeed return for this week’s game–and Kafka indicated that if the quarterback clears the protocol, he will play–part two of this storyline is whether Kafka dials back on the designed runs for the quarterback and leans more heavily into the actual running backs, who have found success over the last few weeks behind the surprising solid play of the offensive line.

Rest of Health Check

New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Typically, when the Giants add a specific position to their practice squad, that’s a sign that someone on the 53-man roster isn’t doing too well and could be headed for IR.

So keep an eye on the cornerback position, where Deonte Banks (hip) and Paulson Adebo (knee) are ailing. Banks missed last week’s game, his first of the season, with a hip ailment, the severity of which isn’t yet known.

Adebo, meanwhile, after looking as though he was ready to return a couple of weeks ago from the knee injury he suffered in Denver, became a last-minute scratch and hasn’t been able to work since.

Given all the injuries also affecting the linebacker unit, it’s fair to wonder how much longer the team will carry Adebo on the 53-man roster if he’s still not ready to return.

Meanwhile also keep an eye on Dexter Lawrence's status . Lawrence, per Kafka, re-injured the elbow that ended his season prematurely last year in last week's game, the injury causing Lawrence to play in fewer snaps than usual.

Prime Time Woes

With few exceptions, playing in primetime hasn’t been favorable for the Giants. Since 2012, they have been 5-17 in Monday games, having been outscored 553-390.

To no one’s surprise, they’re currently a 7.5 underdog against the Patriots, according to FanDuel.

But if there’s even the slightest bit of hope for the Giants this week, it’s that although they’re facing a 10-2 Patriots team that has won its last nine straight, the Patriots are banged up along the offensive line, which could give the Giants something of an edge in terms of getting their pass rush going.

Maye-Day

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

This will be the Giants’ first regular-season in-person look at Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, the signal caller that Giants general manager Joe Schoen tried in vain to trade up for two years ago, only to be rebuked.

Maye is fast living up to the hype that accompanied him when he came out of college.

He’s on pace to become the fourth player ever under the age of 24 with 10 games of 200-plus pass yards and 100-plus passer rating. He is looking for his third consecutive prime time game in which he notches a 70 or better completion percentage, 270 or more passing yards, and a 100 or better passing rating.

“He's talented–talented arm,” said Giants outside linebacker Brian Burns. “I'm not really too sure yet about how quick he is to process everything, but I do feel like he makes the right plays at the right time.

“He does seem a bit poised–maybe a little bit too poised in the pocket–but just overall he's been showing his talent for sure.”

Too poised?

“What I mean by poised is that he takes his time and he makes the right reads, he tries to make the right play,” Burns explained.

“It can also bite you in the butt at a certain number of times if you’ve got edge rushers coming and you're not really too cognizant of where they are.”

Burns added that this can sometimes work against Maye.

“Really just getting to him, getting in his blind spots, like his backside,” he said. “I feel like at times he's so caught up in making the right play or getting so caught up in his routes downfield, he just forgets about who's rushing him.”

With Maye having to play behind a banged-up Patriots offensive line, it will be interesting to see if the Giants can take advantage of that situation and disrupt the poise Maye has shown.

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