Through The Spyglass: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New York Giants

It’s now or never for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as every game has become a must-win after falling to 4-6 ahead of the Bye Week. Up next is the New York Giants, who have struggled all season and are in the midst of a quarterback change benching starter Daniel Jones for third-string QB Tommy DeVito.

The Bucs and Giants are no strangers to one another, having played each other six times in the last 10 years despite not being in the same division. The Giants are 2-8 and are playing through dysfunction for pride purposes, while Tampa Bay has everything on the line this Sunday when the two match up for the seventh time in 10 years.

The Buccaneers and Giants haven’t played each other in three years, but prior to that the two clubs faced off five straight seasons from 2017- 2021. The Bucs won the series 3-2 with back-to-back wins but trail the Giants by a big margin of 16-9 in their series history. The 2022 Buccaneers team won handily 30-10, but the other five games were all within three points, including a heartbreaking loss in 2019 where the Bucs surrendered a 28-10 lead at halftime to lose 32-2.

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The 2023 season for the Giants started with what now can be considered possibly one of the worst contracts in NFL history when the team re-signed Daniel Jones to a four-year $160 million contract extension. In free agency, the Giants signed former Bucs defensive lineman Rakem Ninez-Roches and Colts linebacker Bobby Okereke. They added cornerback Deonte Banks and center John Michael Schmitz in the draft.

After opening the season with a blowout loss to the Cowboys, the Giants rattled off just two wins in their next ten games. During the stretch, the Giants lost starting quarterback Daniel Jones in Week 5 to a neck injury which caused him to miss the next three games. Upon his return in Week 9, he was lost for the season to a torn ACL. New York went on a run of three straight games including a 24-22 upset of the Green Bay Packers. The Giants flip-flopped between quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito on their way to another losing season and a 6-11 record.

Not willing to pay what RB Saquon Barkley was asking, the Giants watched him sign with the division-rival Eagles where he has thrived. New York also watched star safety Xavier McKinney leave in free agency as well as defensive linemen A’Shawn Robinson and backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor. After jettisoning most of their offensive line, they were aggressive signing Jermaine Eluemunor and John Runyan Jr., while adding backup quarterback Drew Lock and running back Devin Singletary. They made a big splash in a trade for edge rusher Brian Burns from the Panthers who has six sacks on the year.

Armed with the fifth overall pick, the Giants tried to move up to select one of the top quarterbacks in the draft to no avail. Instead, they landed wide receiver Malik Nabers, who has been one of the best rookies in the NFL through the first 10 weeks. New York added starters in safety Tyler Nubin and nickel corner Andru Phillips in the second and third rounds and found a diamond in the rough in running back Tyrone Tracy in the fifth. Tracy is their leading rusher with 545 yards on the season.

With all the additions the Giants made this offseason, the results haven’t improved — in fact, they’ve gotten worse. Sitting at 2-8, New York’s season is essentially over. They have benched starting quarterback Daniel Jones for Tommy DeVito, leapfrogging intended backup Drew Lock in moves that feel more financially based and the team knows it. Several Giants players, including their star defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, have been vocal about their displeasure with the decision and there has been speculation that the coaching staff may not make it through the season.

However, sometimes teams are at their most dangerous when they are trying to prove something, and it feels like that’s what this Giants team is looking to do coming off their bye week against Tampa Bay. The Bucs need to be on their A-Game and not overlook this team if they’re going to get their season turned around in the second half.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 season.

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