The New York Giants (2-8) come out of their bye to face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6), also fresh off their break, in Week 12 at MetLife Stadium.
It's already been a busy few days for the Giants, who made a lineup change to kick off the week. Coach Brian Daboll announced that Tommy DeVito will take over for Daniel Jones as the starting quarterback in Week 12, but we'll get more into that later.
Prior to the bye, the Giants fell to the Carolina Panthers in Munich, 20-17, which marked their fifth consecutive loss. On the other sideline, the Buccaneers went into their week off having lost four straight games themselves. However, the time off allowed both teams to get healthier as they enter the final seven-game stretch of the 2024 campaign.
Here are five storylines to follow in the Week 12 matchup.
DeVito takes over
Tommy DeVito will take over as the starting quarterback when the Giants take the field against the Buccaneers this Sunday, while Drew Lock will serve as his backup. There were several factors that went into this decision, but Daboll mentioned looking for an offensive spark as one of the primary ones.
"I spoke with all the quarterbacks this morning before our morning meeting and let them know the direction that we're going," Daboll told the media Monday. "Those are never easy conversations. Got a lot of respect for all three of those guys. After evaluating a bunch of things and looking at a lot of tape and being around Tommy last year where he created a little bit of a spark for us, that's the reason why we're going with Tommy. Drew will be the backup. Continue to work with him. He's been nothing but a pro and as was Daniel (Jones). It's never an easy conversation to have with the players. But felt like this was a necessary move for us and look forward to working with Tommy and getting him ready to go against Tampa."
DeVito started six games for the Giants in 2023 and led them to a 3-3 record. Overall, he played in nine games and completed 64.0 percent of his passes for 1,101 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions for an 89.2 passer rating. DeVito also added some production on the ground with 36 rush attempts for 195 yards (5.4 avg.) and an additional score. During his time as the starter last year, DeVito was twice named the Pepsi Rookie of the Week.
"He's out there practicing and taking show team reps and doing those type of things," Daboll said Monday. "I think he has good fundamentals and he's got a good, quick release. But it's really some of the things in the meeting room when you're talking about tape, you're talking about pressure packages or re-identifications or checks and things like that. He's played almost 700 snaps for us, preseason and regular season included. So, experience helps. We'll do everything we can to get him ready."
Daboll added Wednesday, "He was 3-3 for us when he played, 8 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, still learning the ropes as he played. He's got good leadership about him. I think he's a year into the system where he understands things even more. He's done a good job since he's been here, really since we had him last year and we'll work as hard as we can with him so he can be as ready to go."
View photos of the Giants on the practice field at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.
Bounce back from Tracy
It's been an encouraging start to the career of running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. After playing limited snaps over the first four games, the rookie was given the chance to lead the backfield in Week 5 with Devin Singletary sidelined due to a groin injury. Tracy took advantage of his opportunity with a big game in Seattle and hasn't looked back.
The 24-year-old has four games with 100 or more total yards of offense since taking over as the lead back, including three outings with over 100 rushing yards. He also averaged 5.7 yards per carry or more in all three of those games, and has been nominated for Rookie of the Week on four different occasions.
However, it hasn't been all positive for Tracy. The last time we saw the rookie back on the field in Munich, he fumbled on the opening play of overtime. This led to the Panthers' game-winning field goal and the Giants' eighth loss of the season.
"This is a young player for us that really gives everything he has and cares a lot about his team and about his role on this team," Daboll said about Tracy last Monday ahead of the bye. "He's done a nice job for us. It was unfortunate there at the end with the fumble, but he's a young man that'll bounce back. He's got the right attitude, been a productive player in recent weeks for us. I got a lot of confidence in him."
Young players developing
Tracy isn't the only rookie performing well. Wide receiver Malik Nabers finds himself near the top of the all-time leaderboard in several rookie receiving categories through his first eight games. Meanwhile, safety Tyler Nubin, cornerback Dru Phillips, and tight end Theo Johnson have all been key contributors in their first NFL seasons.
Due to these strong performances, it should not come as a surprise that through the first 10 games of the season, the Giants rank near the top of the league in terms of snaps played by rookies. With seven weeks remaining, continuing the development of these first-year players, along with many of the team's other young players, will be among the top priorities. The Giants have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL, and these last seven games could serve as a good opportunity for a lot of these young players to show what they can do.
One of the most intriguing players to watch over these final seven outings will be right tackle Evan Neal. The third-year lineman started his first game of the season back in Week 10 and performed well. Neal allowed just one total pressure on 41 pass block snaps against the Panthers, which generated a mere 2.4 percent pressure rate allowed, the lowest of his NFL career, according to Next Gen Stats. This included 27 pass rush matchups against veteran Jadeveon Clowney. Neal will once again be starting at right tackle this Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
"Evan will be playing again," Daboll said Wednesday. "Did some good things, like everybody and some things we can work on with him. Have another good week here."
Kayvon returns to practice; other injury & roster updates
The time off allowed the Giants to get healthier entering the final seven contests. Coach Brian Daboll announced on Wednesday that outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux was designated for return from injured reserve, where he has remained since Oct. 12. Thibodeaux suffered a wrist injury in the Giants' Week 5 victory at Seattle and underwent surgery. Daboll said he's "optimistic" Thibodeaux will be able to return to action against the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Thibodeaux picked up two sacks, three tackles for loss and seven quarterback hits in the first five games of the season before suffering the injury. He also added 17 quarterback pressures, according to NGS. His return should help boost the Giants' pass rush that has just one sack over the last two games. Despite the recent dip in production, the unit still sits only three sacks behind the Broncos for the league lead (Denver has played one extra game).
The Giants also made some moves on their practice squad this week. The team reunited with offensive lineman Tyre Phillips while also adding quarterback Tim Boyle and tight end Jordan Murray. In corresponding moves, linebacker Curtis Bolton, tight end/fullback Jakob Johnson and offensive tackle Garret Greenfield were released from the practice squad.
Phillips started 14 games for the Giants from 2022-23, including nine games at right tackle last season. He tore his quad tendon in Week 17 and subsequently underwent surgery, which led to him being a free agent until this week.
Boyle played two games for the Miami Dolphins earlier this season before being released. Overall, he has appeared in 22 games with five starts over six seasons with the Packers (2018-2020), Lions (2021), Bears (2022), Jets (2023), and Texans (2024).
Murray began his collegiate career at Missouri State before finishing at Hawaii. He went undrafted in 2023 before spending time on the practice squads of the Texans (2023), Colts (2023-24), and Cardinals (2024). Arizona released Murray last month.
Scouting the Buccaneers
The Buccaneers have lost four consecutive games after starting the season 4-2. The Buccaneers' offense enters this matchup ranking fifth in points and eighth in yards, while the defense comes in at No. 27 in points and No. 30 in yards allowed. This offense is particularly strong in the red zone, where they have scored a touchdown on 68.4 percent of their trips inside the 20, the third-best mark in the NFL.
After revitalizing his career in Tampa Bay last year, quarterback Baker Mayfield is having an even bigger breakout campaign in 2024. The seventh-year quarterback has completed a career-high 70.6 percent of his passes for 2,505 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions for a 103.6 passer rating, also the best mark of his NFL career. Mayfield has also contributed on the ground with 36 carries for 192 yards (5.3 avg.) and an additional two touchdowns. The veteran signal-caller has thrown three or more touchdown passes in an impressive five of 10 games this year.
The Buccaneers lost their top two pass-catchers in their Week 7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. While Chris Godwin was lost for the season, fellow wide receiver Mike Evans appears set to return to action this weekend. In seven games before the injury, Evans caught 26 passes for 335 yards and played a large role in the Buccaneers' success in the red zone, evidenced by his six touchdowns. In the absence of the two wideouts, tight end Cade Otton stepped up in a big way. Of the Buccaneers' active pass-catchers, Otton leads the group with 49 receptions for 456 yards to go with his four touchdowns.
Tampa Bay also has a two-headed attack in the run game featuring Rachaad White and Bucky Irving. Irving leads the team in rushing with 492 yards on 96 carries (5.1 avg.), ranking second among rookies in rushing yards on the season. White has been more productive as a receiver, catching 37 passes for 291 yards and four touchdowns, while also totaling 306 yards on the ground.
The Buccaneers' defense has allowed an average of 31.3 points during the team's four-game losing streak and no less than 380 total yards of offense in each game during that stretch. The unit ranks 30th in passing yards and 29th in passing touchdowns allowed, while the run defense ranks 28th in rushing yards per attempt.
Nose tackle Vita Vea leads the unit with five sacks on the season, while defensive lineman Calijah Kancey (four sacks), linebacker Lavonte David (three) and defensive lineman Logan Hall (three) are right behind him. Rookie safety Tykee Smith has registered a team-high three interceptions, while cornerback Zyon McCollum has the most pass breakups on the team with 10.
The Buccaneers also opened the 21-day practice window for starting cornerback Jamel Dean earlier this week. Dean has been on injured reserve since Week 6 due to a hamstring injury, but could return to game action for Tampa Bay this Sunday.
View photos from the all-time series between the Giants and Buccaneers.
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