The New York Giants will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium with hopes of creating a spark out of the bye week.
That spark will have to come via the Giants’ new QB1, Tommy DeVito, or as most Giants fans know him, “Tommy Cutlets.”
This, of course, comes following the decision by the Giants earlier this week to bench Daniel Jones and start DeVito instead of Drew Lock, who they signed in the offseason for $5 million. He has served as the backup quarterback all season.
The Giants come in well-rested off the bye week sporting a five-game losing streak after their embarrassing loss to the Carolina Panthers in Munich, Germany.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers come in with a four-game losing streak all of which have come against teams that are currently .500 or better.
While most fans are probably rooting for losses at this point for 2025 NFL draft positioning, the Giants are hoping to get back in the win column, especially Brian Daboll, who may be coaching for his job.
Here are three causes for concern ahead of the Week 12 matchup.
The return of Mike Evans
Wide receiver Mike Evans is trending toward a return on Sunday after being out with a hamstring injury since Week 7. Evans, one of the league’s best and most underrated receivers, will present a major challenge for the Giants’ secondary — in particular, Deonte Banks, who has struggled mightily in his sophomore season.
The Bucs come into Week 12 with the second-best completion percentage in the league and will go up against a Giants’ defense that ranks 30th in opponents’ completion percentage. If Evans can go, it would give Tampa Bay an added boost in this game.
Bucs may be better than their record
As previously mentioned, the Bucs come in with a four-game losing streak. All six losses this season have come against teams that enter Week 12 with a record of .500 or better.
The Bucs also had some impressive victories this year. Three of their four wins have come against against the Washington Commanders (7-4), Philadelphia Eagles (8-2), and Detroit Lions (9-1).
In fact, the Bucs’ only game against an opponent under .500 was against the New Orleans Saints.
The Giants will be the worst opponent (record-wise) the Bucs have had on their schedule so far this season.
The Bucs rushing attack
The Bucs are averaging 5.0 yards per carry this season, which ranks fifth in the league and could be a recipe for disaster considering the Giants have struggled against the run all season long.
The Giants are giving up a league-worst 5.3 yards per carry heading into Week 12.
The Bucs rush the ball at just over 41 percent of their plays. However, given the mismatch in this category, the Giants can expect a heavy dose of the Tampa Bay rushing attack on Sunday.
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