10 things to watch in Giants vs. Patriots
INJURY REPORT
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DeVITO GETS ROLLING
Tommy DeVito made history in his performance against the Commanders last week. The rookie completed 18 of 26 passes for 246 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, and his 137.7 passer rating was the highest by a rookie free agent quarterback with 15+ attempts in the common draft era. Not only that, but DeVito is also the first undrafted rookie quarterback to throw five touchdown passes in his first two starts, and the first Giants quarterback to do it since 1950. He also became just the fourth rookie quarterback in NFL history to accomplish the feat.
DeVito was voted the Pepsi Rookie of the Week for his performance.
"We started fast early," DeVito said about the offense's performance last week. "I think that was the biggest thing. Something that we've been trying to get to do all year, but fall short of that. So that was really the big emphasis this past week, and it's good to go out and do it. It was good to get the team going, get the defense going and then ultimately helped us win the game, and we look forward to doing that hopefully this week."
This week's matchup against the Patriots will be a challenge for DeVito and the entire offense. New England enters Week 12 ranking 18th in passing yards and 10th in passing touchdowns allowed this season. However, the difficulties this game presents go beyond league rankings. Belichick has a history of containing rookie quarterbacks, evidenced by his dominant record against first-year QBs since taking over as coach of the Patriots (24-6). Additionally, Belichick has also had success coming off a bye week (16-7). Despite all of this, DeVito said he's excited about the challenge that lies ahead.
"Yeah, I mean, he's one of the greatest of all time or is the greatest of all time coach to ever come through the NFL," the rookie said about facing Belichick. "It's an honor to be able to play against him. I've been around him a little bit in the past with the Shrine Game, him and the Patriots were my coaching staff for that game. So, I got to know a lot of them and kind of how they go about their business. But it's a challenge I look forward to it. At the end of the day, I'm going to continue to do what I do and prepare and continue to just try to lead this team and lead this offense and not think too much about it."
DeVito wasn't the only player on the offense to step up when the unit needed it most. Running back Saquon Barkley totaled minus-2 rushing yards in the final minute of the third quarter. But in the final 16 minutes of the game, Barkley gained an impressive 85 yards on just eight carries, good for an average of 10.6 yards per attempt. He also caught his second touchdown pass of the game in the fourth quarter as he finished with four receptions for 57 yards and the two scores.
It was Barkley's best performance of the year, as he finished with season-highs in total yards from scrimmage (140), yards per carry (5.9), and receiving yards (57) while his two touchdowns matched his season-best from Week 2. He has now topped 100 yards from scrimmage four out of the last five games.
"It felt great," Barkley said about his production in the passing game. "Especially the first one, which is a play that I've been asking for a long time. So, when it got called, in my mind I was like, 'I can't mess this one up'. It feels good to get into the endzone twice and feels good to get a win. Obviously, just being critical of myself. This last time I could've done better, especially my pass protection. Gonna go back, watch film and get ready for next week."
The Patriots have performed well against the run this season, ranking ninth in rushing yards and second in rushing yards per attempt allowed on the season at just 3.4 yards per carry. However, the nine rushing touchdowns they have surrendered is tied for 18th in the league. The last time they took the field, the Patriots held Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts to just 70 total rushing yards. It was the fourth time in their last five games that they held their opponent to 85 rushing yards or less.
Kayvon Thibodeaux's breakout campaign, along with his dominance against the Commanders, continued this past Sunday. The second-year outside linebacker registered his fourth game with more than one sack this season, finishing the day with two sacks, two tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and a pass breakup. He is now up to 10.5 sacks on the season, tied for the sixth-most in the NFL, and 14.5 sacks through his first 25 games in the NFL, 5.5 of which have come in four games against the Commanders.
Thibodeaux also picked up a season-high eight total pressures against Washington, all of which came against veteran left tackle Charles Leno. The 22-year-old recorded his fastest get-off speed in a game this year (0.68 seconds), while five of his eight pressures came in under 2.5 seconds, according to Next Gen Stats. Thibodeaux became the first player to reach double digit sacks in a Wink Martindale-led defense.
"It's a divisional opponent, so we all knew what was on the line," Thibodeaux said after the win. "It's a game that mattered, I'm happy we got the win."
The 6-foot-5, 258-pound edge rusher will be faced with another tough matchup this weekend in Patriots left tackle Trent Brown. The 30-year-old tackle has surrendered just two sacks and 12 total pressures in seven games this season. Overall, the Patriots have allowed just 23 sacks on the season.
