Could this be a get-right game for Tampa Bay?
The New York Giants return home to MetLife stadium a different team than they were at the start of their bye week.
The 2-8 Giants host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after their own bye week, and for the first time Daniel Jones will be a healthy scratch for the game. 2023 UDFA Tommy DeVito will get the start in Jones’ place as the Giants hope to spark their dismal offense and generate some excitement.
The Buccaneers, meanwhile, are 4-6 on the season and looking to stop their own 4-game skid. They’ve been reeling since Week 6 when cornerback Jamel Dean landed on the injured reserve with a hamstring injury. That was followed by a disastrous Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens that saw them lose both Mike Evans to his own hamstring injury and Chris Godwin to a fractured ankle.
The Buccaneers could be getting both Evans and Dean back this week, which would make things significantly tougher for the Giants.
The Giants are 5.5-point underdogs at home per FanDuel sports book, but does the Big Blue View staff thing they can pull off the upset?
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Tony DelGenio
This game is a coin flip that hinges on two unknowns: (1) Will the Giants react negatively to Daniel Jones’ benching and just mail it in, or will they feel a burden lifted from their shoulders now that it’s finally happened and rally around Tommy DeVito? (2) Will we get the DeVito who put three TDs up in Washington and led a last minute comeback vs. Green Bay, or the one who looked like a deer caught in the headlights against New Orleans and Philadelphia? I have absolutely no idea.
One thing I do know: Expect lots of points. In the Buccaneers’ last six games (the last four of them losses, by the way), both sides have put at least 20 points on the board each time. Tampa Bay has scored 30 or more five times – not in the last three games, when both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were out, but it looks like Evans will return to face the Giants. Old friend Sterling Shepard and tight end Cade Otton have helped take up the slack. Baker Mayfield has resurrected his career in Tampa Bay after appearing to be consigned to a future backup role five years after being drafted No. 1. On defense, the Bucs have given up at least 30 four times, but three times in the last four weeks. Their schedule has been horrendous, though, with games against Washington, Detroit, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Kansas City, and San Francisco already behind them.
All of which is to say, they are better than their 4-6 record says they are, with apologies to Bill Parcells.
Pick: Buccaneers
Chris Pflum
Will making a change at quarterback create a spark for the Giants?
I don’t know, but I do know that Todd Bowles won’t make it easy. The Buccaneers’ defense has been poor this year, and the Giants have the talent on offense to stress — or beat — them. But Bowles is a keen defensive mind and he’ll be looking to rattle Tommy DeVito and hold the ball long enough for their pass rush to get home. That could get significantly easier if CB Jamel Dean indeed returns for this game.
On the flip side, Baker Mayfield has been playing great and might be the best quarterback in the NFL that nobody’s talking about. He’s been accurate, efficient, and gutsy without taking unnecessary chances. The Bucs could be getting Mike Evans back from injury, and if so, the stress they can put on a defense between the passing and running games could be too much for the Giants.
I’m expecting more from Jalin Hyatt and Daniel Bellinger than we’ve seen with DeVito at quarterback, but that might not be enough if the Buccaneers’ offense is setting the pace for the game.
I’m not expecting a win, but things could get ugly at home if the game really gets away from the Giants early.
Pick: Buccaneers
Nick Falato
The Giants have turned the page to Tommy DeVito and face a well-rested Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, who could be getting star wide receiver Mike Evans back from injury (he was a full participant in practice on Thursday). New York has yet to win a game at home and is 2-8 on the season against this desperate, rested Buccaneers team.
Todd Bowels and the Tampa Bay defense will likely dial up the pressure against the Giants’ young signal-caller; DeVito must rely on his quick release and judgment pre-to-post snap to find solutions against this defense. The Buccaneers’ secondary is susceptible, and there’s certainly a path for DeVito to move the football and put points on the board for the Giants. Still, I expect Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers to do the same against the Giants’ defense, and the Buccaneers will find a way to earn a road victory.
Pick: Buccaneers
James Hickey
The return of Tommy-mania is coming with a heavy-dose of revisionist history.
Tommy DeVito had some moments last year, but he was benched for Tyrod Taylor at the end of a lost season last year because head coach Brian Daboll thought he gave the team a better chance to win. DeVito was a feel good story last year but it was not the smashing success that some fans are touting it to be—there was a reason that the Giants brought in Drew Lock during the offseason.
Is it possible that DeVito makes more plays than Daniel Jones had this year? Yes, it is possible and may be even probable. But this is a team that has failed to play complementary football all year long. The problems of the defense still remain. And a returning Mike Evans has all the earmarks of a get-right game for Tampa Bay this week.
Pick: Buccaneers
Valentine’s View
The Giants have lost five straight games, and are 0-5 at home. The Buccaneers have lost four straight. How do you confidently pick a winner in this game?
Well, you could look at the fact that the Buccaneers’ four straight losses have been by a combined 24 points — to the Ravens, Falcons, Chiefs and 49ers. The Giants lost in Week 10 to the Carolina Panthers, the one team almost everyone thought was clearly worse than the Giants.
This is, though, a fairly soft landing spot for Tommy DeVito as the Giants hope for DeVito-mania, Part 2. The Bucs are 27th in the NFL, allowing 26.6 points per game. The MetLife Stadium crowd will be energized, at least when the game starts.
The Giants have a chance here. But, the Buccaneers are the better team.
Pick: Buccaneers
