Week 12 preview: Belichick returns to Jersey
It has been three decades since the Patriots played such a meaningless midseason game. Never since Robert Kraft has owned the Patriots has there been a game that has promised so little excitement. Not since before Bill Parcells was named head coach of the Patriots in 1993. Not since Dick MacPherson was the head coach and Hugh Millen was throwing the ball to the likes of Greg McMurtry and Marv Cook. Patriots' legend Andre Tippett was still active and sacking quarterbacks.
This week the 2-8 Patriots go on the road to play the 3-8 New York Giants. It will be a nostalgic return to East Rutherford for 71-year-old Bill Belichick who was an assistant coach for the Giants from 1979-1990.
The two franchises can spend time smoking cigars and sipping cognacs reminiscing about their glory days. Because those days are long gone. The two teams are now battling for the top pick in the draft next Spring.
The Patriots used to circle games like the Colts, Ravens, and Steelers on their schedule as barometers for how good the team was. Now the Patriots are looking at this game against the Giants as a barometer on how bad they really are. Might they be the worst team in the NFL? We are going to find out.
The Giants are really bad. They were already a bad team with their regular quarterback Daniel Jones. Now they are playing their third string quarterback, Tommy DeVito (no relation to Danny DeVito – at least not that I know of). DeVito lost his starting job as a redshirt senior when he played college ball at Syracuse.
Giants’ head coach Brian Daboll has had success against Belichick as an offensive coordinator. After a promising first season as head coach of the Giants in which he led the team to a 9-7 record and the playoffs, the wheels have come off this year – so much so that there are rumblings that Belichick may return to the Giants if he and the Patriots part ways this offseason.
The Patriots’ troubles this year have been well chronicled. Mac Jones has struggled, but one can always argue that Belichick didn’t give him any weapons. JuJu Smith-Schuster has been a bust. DeVante Parker has been awful on and off the field. The Patriots had chances to land DeAndre Hopkins and Dalvin Cook and passed. One could say they even had a chance to land Lamar Jackson. Offensive tackle was never addressed properly in the draft or free agency. And Mac Jones hasn’t done himself any favors, making some horrible decisions and throws.
Against Indianapolis in Germany, Jones squandered a chance to lead his team to a comeback victory late in the fourth quarter by throwing one of the worst passes you will ever see. It was just the most recent in a string of horrible interceptions Jones has thrown this year – many at the most inopportune of times.
When Bailey Zappe replaced Jones for the final drive of the Colts’ game, the nearly unanimous belief was that was the last we’ve seen of Mac Jones as starter for the Patriots. As game time approaches, it is looking more and more like Mac Jones will again start against the Giants.
Belichick refuses to name a starter before the game begins. He wants to keep the Giants guessing, that sneaky genius. Mac Jones did seem in good spirits during his press conference this week. He said he hopes he is starting this week. For someone with such a consistent history of benching players who turn the ball over, it will be out of character for Belichick to put the ball back in Jones’ hand. But it is looking that way, primarily because there is no one better than him on the roster.
Prediction: Patriots 17, Giants 13
I told myself after their week five blowout loss at home to the Saints that I wouldn’t pick the Patriots to win another game this year. But the Giants are just sooooo bad. Along with the Carolina Panthers, the Patriots and Giants represent the three worst teams in the NFL.
Daboll has been a little more confident allowing DeVito to throw the ball further downfield after DeVito threw for -1 yard in his debut four weeks ago. In his last two games, DeVito has thrown for five touchdowns while only throwing one interception. Those are numbers that Mac Jones is envious of at this point.
The Giants do still have Saquon Barkley on offense. Barkley is a double threat as a runner and a receiver. If the Patriots shut down Barkley, they will shut down the Giants. Belichick may have lost it in a lot of areas, but he is still a master of scheming against another team’s primary offensive weapon.
The only thing I am curious to watch in this game is Giants’ rookie cornerback Deonte Banks. He went 24th overall in last year’s draft, seven picks after the Patriots drafted Christian Gonzalez. He was the last of four cornerbacks taken in the first round. From all accounts, he has had a solid season despite recording only one interception.
The rest of the Giants’ defense is pretty bad, ranking in the bottom six of almost every relevant defensive metric. Like I have said all season, the Patriots lack the offensive tools to punish even bad defenses.