Patriots vs. Giants: 6 Bold Predictions
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
3. Patriots won’t allow 50 yards rushing
The Patriots have been quietly putting together very good games defending the run. In the past three weeks, they have allowed a total of 112 rushing yards; 60 to the New York Jets, 15 to the Miami Dolphins and 37 last week to the Redskins.
This should be taken with a grain of salt, as much of the reason teams aren’t running for many yards against the Pats is because they are always playing from behind. Nonetheless, the Pats have been excellent at defending the run in 2015, certainly better than most thought they would be considering Vince Wilfork’s recent departure.
From Hal Bent: W2W4 Patriots-Giants
Meanwhile, the Giants aren’t very good at running the ball anyway. They rank a smelly 25th, gaining just 3.8 yards per carry and averaging 96.7 yards per game.
Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams are the main ball carriers in the Giants’ ground game, and Vereen also gets a touch here and there. The Pats’ interior defensive line of Alan Branch, Malcom Brown and Dominique Easley aren’t intimidated by that trio. The Giants won’t rush for more than half of a football field.
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