Patriots vs. Giants: 5 Players To Watch
By Cyrus Geller
Here are five Patriots and Giants players to watch on Sunday:
Jason Pierre-Paul
The only Giants pass rusher that is halfway talented is JPP, and he is playing with one hand right now. The Pats have lose to the Giants in the past because they couldn’t protect Tom Brady, so this time around, just make sure JPP doesn’t go off, and they should be okay.
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James White
With Dion Lewis done for the season, James White is the next man up at the running back position, and I think he will see a lot of playing time on Sunday. The Giants have one of the worst group of linebackers in football, so I think White can take advantage of 1-on-1 matchups in the passing game.
Odell Beckham Jr.
New York doesn’t have many weapons to work with on offense, so Beckham sees the majority of the targets from Eli. Beckham is a talented player, but luckily for the Patriots, he really is the only guy they have to focus on. I anticipate Malcolm Butler to follow him, with a safety hovering over the top to ensure he doesn’t blow the lid off the defense.
Malcolm Butler
Speaking of Butler, this will be a huge test for the young corner, who is coming off arguably his best performance of the season. Butler has the speed, quickness, ball skills and toughness to hang with Beckham, he just needs to put it all together, and try not to let the previous play affect the next one. I can’t wait to see how he matches up with one of the best young wideouts in the game.
All Patriots Injured Players
New England is extremely banged up right now, as a number of key starters may not be able to play in this game. Sebastian Vollmer, Marcus Cannon, Tre’ Jackson, and Jamie Collins have all been dealing with some kind of issue as of late, so if they can’t go, the Pats’ depth will have to come once again through along the offensive line, and in the linebacking corps.