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New York Giants Pass Defense In Trouble vs. New England Patriots

By Kenneth Teape

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The New York Giants will have their hands full against the New England Patriots pass game, and will be at an even bigger disadvantage with the injuries they are suffering from.

The New York Giants could be in for a long afternoon against the New England Patriots this weekend. While they stepped up nicely against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, it is one thing going up against a rookie in Jameis Winston in bad weather, but it is another to be going up against one of the best quarterbacks to ever take the field in Tom Brady.

Brady has been on a crusade of sorts to stick it to Roger Goodell and the NFL after the DeflateGate scandal that took up most of our attention over the summer. After getting cleared, Brady has made it a mission to destroy every team in his path, and that is exactly what he has done.

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Brady is completing 68.6 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,709 yards and 22 touchdowns compared to just two interceptions. Those are insane numbers, and just goes to show that he has destroyed every team no matter how strong of a defense they have.

That means it could be a long afternoon for the Giants, who will once again be shorthanded in the secondary. Prince Amukamara has returned to practice, and there was some hope that he would be able to get on the field this weekend. But, that ended up being too lofty of a goal, as Amukamara will miss his fifth consecutive game. Amukamara was ruled out of the game today, which puts the Giants defense behind the eight-ball.

Already the worst ranked passing defense in the NFL, things have gotten uglier without Amukamara in the lineup. Drew Brees had a record game against them two weeks ago, throwing for seven touchdowns and 505 yards, completing 39-of-50 passes. The depth behind Amukamara is lacking, and it has shown in recent weeks.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has played at a Pro Bowl level this season, and has done his best in the absence of the starter opposite of him. Veteran Trumaine McBride brings it in the slot as well, but the Giants just do not have the depth to make up for the loss of a player with the ability of Amukamara.

Trevin Wade and Jayron Hosley aren’t as talented as Amukamara, and it has shown. Both are borderline NFL talent, yet are being thrust into prominent roles currently in the Giants secondary. They will have major roles once again against the Patriots, and you can be sure Brady will continually target them.

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He will more than likely work the middle of the field as well, as the Giants will be lacking there as well. Linebackers J.T. Thomas and Uani Unga will both miss this week’s game against the Patriots after sitting out last week against the Buccaneers as well. That means the Giants will have to dig deeper into their linebacker depth, with Jasper Brinkley and Mark Herzlich looking at increased responsibility defensively along with their work they already do on special teams.

The Giants pass defense could be in for a long day, but the one saving grace they have is that the Patriots offensive line is in a bit of shambles currently. They have used 19 different offensive line combinations this season already, so this may be an area for the Giants to exploit.

With Jason Pierre-Paul back in the fold, the Giants pass rush look rejuvenated last week against the Buccaneers. If they can get that pressure on Brady, which will be no small task with Johnathan Hankins now out for the season, the Giants would take a lot of pressure off their secondary.

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That has been the calling card for the Giants against the Patriots, who have had as much success against them under Tom Coughlin as any team in the NFL. The Giants enter this game on a three-game winning streak against the Patriots, two of which came in the Super Bowl.

Could they rekindle some of that magic Sunday afternoon to knock off the Patriots again? As long as Tom Coughlin is on the sideline, and Eli Manning is under center for the Giants, there is always a fighting chance for this team against the Patriots, a team they have had good success against.

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