The New York Giants (0-3) travel to Tampa Bay this Sunday to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) in a game they absolutely have to win.
A loss would be devastating to the New York Giants’ hopes of reaching the playoffs, as they would not only drop them to 0-4 but it would be their fourth loss within the conference.
Despite the slow start, head coach Ben McAdoo is confident that his team can turn things around and begin playing to their potential.
With that being said, here are five keys to victory for the Giants against the Buccaneers.
Don’t Turn The Ball Over
The Giants have turned the ball over at least once in each of their three games this season. Turning the ball over will get you beat often than not and it’s one of the reasons the Giants are winless.
For the season, the Giants are -2 in turnover differential. They must take care of the ball on Sunday and not squander scoring opportunities.
Don’t Get Beat Deep
This week, the Giants will see their longtime nemesis in DeSean Jackson, who has a long history of making big plays against Big Blue.
Quarterbacks have been picking on Eli Apple this year and he has given up both long completions and pass interference penalties. Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston likes to take his chances downfield, so expect him to challenge Apple deep.
It’s imperative that Apple and the rest of the Giants secondary do not give up big plays in the passing game.
Continue With The Quick And Short Passing Game
Last week against the Eagles, Eli Manning average release time on his passing attempts was 1.85 seconds. As a result, he wasn’t sacked for the first time all year and was seldom harassed. The Giants need to stick with the quick and short passing game and get the ball into their playmakers’ hand, namely Odell Beckham Jr. This will also help the Giants vulnerable offensive line.
Get Hits On Jameis Winston
Some feel Winston is on the verge of becoming a star in this league but he can get rattled when he’s under pressure which, in turn, leads to mistakes. Last week against the Vikings, he was sacked twice and pressured often, which resulted in him throwing three interceptions.
Jason Pierre-Paul, Olivier Vernon and the rest of the Giants defense need to get some hits on Winston, even if they can’t take him down for a sack. If they can hit him often, he will turn the ball over.
Give Orleans Darkwa More Carries
The Giants’ running game has been abysmal this season, as they only have 146 rushing yards in total. However, while playing sparingly, Orleans Darkwa has shown flashes of potential. He’s averaging 4.1 yards per carry and is the only running back on the Giants that’s had a run over 10 yards.
So far this season, Darkwa has 13 carries. The Giants should try to give him around that number on Sunday.