Three Keys to a NY Giants Week 13 Win vs New England Patriots

Here’s how the Giants can set themselves up for success and stun the Patriots in primetime.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) hands off to running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) in the first quarter of the NFL Week 12 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Following another brutal fourth-quarter collapse that carried into overtime and ended swiftly with a 34-27 loss to the Detroit Lions, the New York Giants are running out of opportunities to add more wins that would lessen the ugly picture of their 2025 season. 

They’ve had ample chances to steal victories against some quality opponents, but have followed very similar patterns in letting those games slip away. The next one comes against an equally capable foe in the New England Patriots, who have several playmakers helping them rank among the hottest teams in the NFL. 

The Giants might have had the Patriots' number on the biggest stage of football in recent history, but this is a much different New England squad, rejuvenated by a new head coach and a bunch of talent additions on both sides of the ball. 

The Patriots could finally be the better-built team in this matchup and will have their eyes set on tacking on another win against the flailing Giants as they strut into the postseason.

At the same time, very few people have been writing the Giants off in their games this season when Jaxson Dart is under center and will be returning for this primetime duel.

Dart and company know the Giants' track record in primetime spots, and this one shapes up to be another good test for the young group. In that spirit, these are our three biggest keys to earning a huge win over the Patriots before New York hits the bye week.

Contain the Pass Rush

Nov 2, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson (44) reacts after a sack against the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

For the first time in a long time, it feels like we have been able to heap a ton of praise on the Giants' offensive line for their high-quality play throughout the entirety of the 2025 season. 

Even though the Giants brought back most of their members of the position group from the previous year, there have been much improved results in the second season under the guidance of offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo. 

The unit has risen from the basement to being one of the better pass-blocking fronts with the 13th-highest pass block win rate (66%) in the league in the first 12 games of the season. In addition, the starting five has remained fairly intact, with no one missing more than two games, which helps build the consistency that matters in providing good protection for the quarterback. 

As such, the Giants' offensive line has allowed just 34 sacks this year and has kept the total to less than two takedowns in three of their last four contests that have featured some of the NFL’s best pass rushes on their schedule. 

The Giants have also enjoyed having their stalwart left tackle, Andrew Thomas, back and healthy for most of the long haul after lower-body injuries marred his previous two seasons. The former No. 4 overall pick’s presence is truly irreplaceable and continues to shut down the best edge rushers with ease while elevating the play of his teammates. 

Thomas and company must be ready to protect Jaxson Dart if they want a chance to compete with the high-powered Patriots offense, which has piled on at least 25 points in eight games this fall. On the other end is their own collection of pass rushers whose individual abilities are better than their team’s stats reflect. 

While the Patriots’ defense only ranks 22nd in pass rush win rate entering Week 13, they boast three of the league’s top 20 players in that same category—linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson (14%), defensive end Milton Williams (14%) and defensive tackle Christian Barmore (10%)—who they can use in a bunch of different looks similar to the Giants’ unit to try to confuse opposing offenses. 

Williams, who came over to New England in free agency after winning the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, will not make Monday’s game after he was placed on IR.

However, they’ll still have a lot to handle with the other two names who have left an imprint on the team’s record as well. 

Chaisson joined the Patriots this summer after stints with the Jaguars and Raiders and has ascended into one of their best sack artists in his debut. He is tied for the team lead with 6.5 sacks, 45 total pressures, and two forced turnovers while winning his one-on-one matchups at a team and career-high 12.1% of his pass rush snaps. 

The Patriots like to use Chaisson as their chess piece on the defensive front, similar to how the Giants deploy Abdul Carter, who sees reps both on the edge and along the defensive front. 

When Barmore, who has won a whopping 66% of his double teams, is lined up in the trenches with him, it can open up opportunities for more direct routes to the passer if the opposition isn't ready with a game plan to address the numerous threats up the middle. 

All of the Patriots’ pieces will certainly be thrown at Dart to see if they can stifle his confidence early in his return to live action. It could be the first time the Giants' offense faces a defense whose weapons mirror the potential we thought they had at the start of the season. 

So far, the offensive line has been up to the challenge each week and has improved, to some people’s surprise, leaving hope that they can keep the positive trend going and give Dart the time he needs to dish the football.

Play a Four Man Front

Charlie Bullen with first round draft pick Abdul Carter during practice at Giants Rookie Minicamp. | Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the Giants turning the keys to their entire defense over to interim defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen after Shane Bowen was relieved of his duties, one of his first tasks will be to find ways to address the immense woes the defense has suffered so far this season. 

As it’s been laid out for weeks during their losing skid, the Giants' defense has been flailing both in the trenches and deep in the secondary. Despite investing in resources in the former area, New York finds itself ranked No. 30 in the league and 32nd overall in run defense. That’s just coming off the heels of allowing 11.9 yards per carry to Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs last Sunday. 

Bullen, who has been well respected in the Giants organization as the linebackers coach before his promotion, made it known that his plan to fix the team’s problems starts with addressing the plain fundamentals that have not been up to par this year, such as bringing back tackling circuits in practice sessions with the entire defensive group. 

However, there was also an emphasis on schemes and being in the wrong ones at times, which makes sense when one considers how crazy it was that the Giants were playing in soft zone coverages while trying to hold onto slim leads in the fourth quarter of some of their recent avoidable losses. 

Those thoughts from Bullen have inspired an idea for our second key ahead of their matchup with the Patriots that could help them be more competitive in the trenches. The Giants should implement a four-man defensive front to counter what New England has going up front. 

For most of this season, the Giants have used a three-man front, led by Dexter Lawrence, as part of their base 3-4 defensive system while playing around with their moving parts on the edges. 

That intention seemed good on paper at the start of the campaign, but it hasn’t yielded powerful results, as the team has struggled to finish pressures or clear rushing lanes. 

In addition, the Patriots are coming into Monday’s meeting with the No. 7 and 8 ranked offensive huddle in total points and yards, respectively, and have moved the football at one of the best rates through the air at an average of 7.5 yards per play, which sits second-highest in the NFL. 

It’s been a huge part of their success, making quick drives that convert consistently to avoid late downs and netting 26.5 points per contest in the first 12 games. 

Again, those numbers can seem scary when you think about the matchup with the Giants' banged-up secondary, which is currently 24th in the league in coverage grade. 

What will make the chance of a four-man front interesting is that the rest of the Patriots' offense isn’t of the same caliber in their metrics.

The rushing attack sits at No. 27 with an average carry of just 3.7 yards, and the protection up front is only at the bottom of the top 20 teams in both pass and run block win rates. 

The Patriots' offensive line is also dealing with some key injuries to two positions on their starting five heading into the game. 

Left tackle Will Campbell was placed on IR with a knee injury amidst a pretty efficient debut for the rookie, and left guard Jared Wilson will also be absent with an ankle ailment, leaving the left side of the unit uncompromised.

With some extra beef up front, the Giants just might be able to make it harder on the Patriots to run the football on them and make them fully one-dimensional.

Moreso, it could be a sneaky trick to unload the pass rush that has literally been carried this year by one man in Brian Burns (13 sacks), who is chasing a Defensive Player of the Year worthy resume in his second year with the franchise.  

No matter what Bullen decides, it will be pivotal for the Giants to address their interior deficiencies if they want a chance to take any more wins from their final five games on the schedule. If they can’t on Monday, it’ll be another ugly stat sheet for the defensive crew to have to discuss in the days after.

Limit Stefon Diggs

Nov 23, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) warms up before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

In taking an individual approach to the third key, there is one offensive player on the Patriots that the Giants' beleaguered secondary must be ready to slow down: wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

While the Patriots like to rely on two weapons with the addition of tight end Hunter Henry, who is among the most productive pass catchers at his position, Diggs has arguably become the de facto No. 1 option as soon as he signed with New England in the offseason after a failed stint with the Houston Texans. 

After the first two stops of his NFL career finished on a sour note, the 32-year-old receiver has found a positive home with quarterback Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel’s offense. 

He leads the Patriots through 12 games with 61 catches for 679 yards and three touchdowns and is trying to chase down his seventh 1,000-yard season after he had five straight from 2018 to 2023. 

When Diggs is at full strength, he is a speedy perimeter player who can run a diverse route tree and make extended plays in space. 

He is averaging 56.6 yards per contest and has garnered 218 of his yards after the catch, which is a noticeable amount in an impending matchup with a Giants defense that has whiffed on more tackles than anybody wants to admit. 

The more underrated component of his partnership with Maye, who had developed one of the best arm strengths for a quarterback this season, is the deep ball.

The Patriots will likely look to go pass-heavy against the Giants' weak secondary, as they already do at a 53.4% clip, and create some explosive plays with the pair’s abilities that catch the opponent sleeping and get points on the board early. 

Per Pro Football Reference. Diggs has had at least 24.3% of his targets come in the 10-19 yard range and another 9.3% beyond 20 air yards. In those reps, he has tallied 319 yards and won all four of his contested catches for an impeccable deep receiving grade of 88.4. He likes to target the left side of the defense, which has been missing its best defender, Paulson Adebo, for the past few weeks. 

There is a chance that Adebo, who has been dealing with a knee ailment and was a limited participant in practice this week, could return for Monday night’s game, and he would definitely be assigned to follow Diggs all day. 

If he doesn’t, the Giants will have to rely on their skeleton crew in the secondary that has been torched for over 220 aerial yards three times in the last month of the slate to get the job done. 

A successful Patriots offense moves the football through the air with ease and is explosive before falling back on its run game late to close out the deal. 

The Giants’ defense's first task is to shut that faucet off and turn it back into a trenches game, where hopefully the new presence and changes made by Charlie Bullen could create a spark for the team. 

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