The New York Giants (2-10) head up to Foxborough to face a smoking-hot New England Patriots team (10-2) on Monday Night Football.
Here are five storylines we are following in Week 13.
Giants’ defensive changes
After blowing another double-digit fourth-quarter lead last week in Detroit, for an NFL record-tying fifth time this season, the Giants finally showed defensive coordinator Shane Bowen the door. He is being replaced by outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen, who has no experience in a coordinator role on any level.
The Giants are at the bottom of the league in most categories. They are 30th in points and yards, last against the run, and 31st in the red zone and first downs allowed per game. And they haven’t looked good doing it. They’ve been a total failure. Bullen has his work cut out for him and may not be able to fix the glaring issues that have plagued this unit for the past two years in just five games.
Streaks are on the line
The Pats have won nine consecutive games in 2025, the longest active streak in the NFL. Last week, with their win in Cincinnati, they became the first team to reach 10 wins this season. They are 2.5 games ahead of second-place Buffalo in the AFC East and currently hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
The Giants have lost six straight games and seven of their last eight. They are in the throes of a franchise-worst 12-game road skid, last winning away from MetLife Stadium in Week 5 of last season. They have been eliminated from the postseason, their earliest exit since 1976. The loss in Detroit last Sunday clinched their 10th double-digit loss season in the past 12 years, the longest stretch of ineptitude in their 101-year existence.
Dart or no Dart?
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart was still in the concussion protocol on Wednesday, but was out on the field practicing in full. He was once again wearing the red non-contact jersey, just like he did last week before he was ruled out.
The Giants are being cautious with Dart and do need to run him right back out there should he be cleared for duty. They have a perfectly viable option in backup Jameis Winston, who has made some noise in his two starts since Dart went down.
The Patriots are eighth in total defense this year and sixth against the pass. It wouldn’t be coaching malpractice to sit Dart in this situation, but this team doesn’t use common sense or follow the norms. If he’s cleared, he’ll likely play.
Gotta love the Drake
Giants general manager Joe Schoen wanted badly to trade up into the top-3 picks in last year’s NFL draft. His target? North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. The Patriots, who held the third overall selection, weren’t budging. They ended up with Maye, and they haven’t looked back.
How right was Schoen to seek a deal? Very. The second-year quarterback is killing it. Maye has three games this season in which he has completed at least 80 percent of his passes, the most in team history in a single season. He leads the NFL in passing yards and has 220 or more passing yards in 11 of 12 games this season, the most in the NFL. He can become the fourth player ever under the age of 24 with 10 games of 200 or more passing yards and a 100-plus passer rating.
Wan’Dale making the most of his chance
Giants fourth-year wide receiver Wan’dale Robinson is making the most of his opportunity as the team’s top wideout in Malik Nabers’ absence. He has 66 receptions this season for a single-season career high 794 yards (12.0 per catch average) and three touchdowns.
Robinson’s 794 receiving yards have come when he is aligned in the slot, the most among all NFL players this year. His 40 receptions and 240 yards after the catch when aligned in the slot also rank first in the NFL.
Robinson has 10 receptions of 25 or more yards this season, ranking him second only to Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has 14. Robinson also ranks second in third-down receptions this year (20), two behind Keenan Allen of the Los Angeles Chargers.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants vs. Patriots: 5 storylines to watch in Week 13
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
