On the surface, the New York Giants’ Week 13 tilt against the red-hot New England Patriots isn’t that much of a draw.

Oh, sure, it’s an opportunity for the nation to watch two young and ascending quarterbacks in Jaxson Dart (Giants) and Drake Maye (Patriots) do their thing. But other than that, there’s not a whole lot at stake for the Giants, right?

Wrong.

For interim head coach Mike Kafka, who has had a whirlwind three weeks since being put in charge of the flailing franchise following the dismissal of Brian Daboll, it’s been about convincing the Giants and the rest of the league that he’s indeed head coaching material.

He’s already made some tough calls, starting with the one-series benching of rookie outside linebacker Abdul Carter for not being on top of a schedule change and hence missing a team walkthrough, to the firing of defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. 

Kafka has also rolled the dice on naming Charlie Bullen, who has never been a coordinator at any level during his 18-year coaching career, to salvage what’s left of a bruised and battered defensive unit that has top-15 talent but which has been playing like a bunch of chumps.

Tonight against the Patriots, a team that’s seeking its tenth win in a row, Kafka and the Giants can make a statement with an upset victory before they cruise into their long-awaited bye week. 

It’s clearly too late for this season, but for a team that can’t sink much longer, if it’s able to provide just the slightest glimmer of hope that better days are on the horizon, that’s really all that one can ask for at this juncture.

Follow along with our live blog as we bring you play highlights, injury and statistical notes, and more from the Giants’ Week 13 game against the New England Patriots.

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⏹Through 11 games played this season, CB Cor’Dale Flott has been responsible for nine open targets, per Next Gen Stats. Across all defenders who have been targeted at least 50 times, Flott’s nine open targets allowed are tied for the fewest in the NFL.

⏹Since Week 11, RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. has produced 269 yards from scrimmage, the 2nd-most in the league among all running backs. He only trails Detroit RB Jahmyr Gibbs, who has garnered 410 yards from scrimmage.

⏹LB Abdul Carter leads all rookies with 42 quarterback pressures (per Next Gen Stats) and 12 QB hits. He is 1 QB hit shy of tying Kayvon Thibodeaux (13 in 2022) and Azeez Ojulari (13 in 2021) for the most by a Giants rookie since QB hits became an official stat in 2006.

⏹In the Week 12 matchup against Detroit, DL Darius Alexander produced four tackles, 2.0 sacks, 2 QB hits, and two tackles for loss. Both sacks came in the first half, making him the first Giants rookie since DE Jason Pierre-Paul (12/5/10) with 2.0+ sacks in a half.

NFL Insights & Pregame Thoughts

Need further proof that left tackle Andrew Thomas is the best of the Giants’ offensive line this season? 

Per NFL+, Thomas has allowed a 7.9% pressure rate this season, the 12th-lowest among left tackles with at least 150 pass blocks and just one sack (0.3%, 3rd-lowest) and two quick pressures (0.6%, 2nd-lowest).

He’s also held off pressure for an average of 3.91 seconds, the longest time to pressure by any left tackle since at least 2018. 

All of this is key as tonight Thomas is likely to see a lot of K’Lavon Chaisson, who has produced a 15.2% pressure rate and 5.9% quick pressure rate, both of which rank 17th among 77 edge rushers with at least 150 pass rushes.

For those who think that Giants safety Jevon Holland has been a bust, he’s allowed 4.1 yards per target this season, the third-fewest among 195 defensive backs with at least 15 targets in coverage. 

Within that, he’s allowed nine completions on 22 targets (40.9%, 2nd-lowest) for 91 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, leading to a 49.6 passer rating when targeted, the fifth-lowest among the 62 safeties with 15+ targets. 

Holland has also allowed 18 YAC, which is the best among the safeties.

Also, something to watch tonight is Dexter Lawrence II. With word of Lawrence having reinjured the same elbow that ended his season early last year, will he see fewer double-team blocks? 

Thus far, per NFL+, he has been double-teamed on 57.9% of his pass rushes this season, the second-highest mark among defensive tackles with a minimum of 150 pass rushes. With Lawrence basically struggling to play with one healthy arm, one would think there’s no reason to devote extra resources to him.

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