Coming out of their bye week and entering the final seven weeks of the 2024 season, the 4-6 Bucs will be making the trip up to East Rutherford this weekend for a key Week 12 game against the 2-8 New York Giants.

Tampa Bay lost four straight games heading into its Week 11 bye, so it’ll be looking to get back on track against a directionless New York team that is making a change at quarterback, going from Daniel Jones to Tommy DeVito. Once 2-3, the Giants lost five straight games going into their own Week 11 bye. So, one of these teams is going to snap a long losing streak on Sunday afternoon and earn their first win in well over a month.

The Bucs aren’t out of the playoff race, and their NFC South title hopes aren’t completely gone either. But if they’re going to make another late-season push and make the postseason for the fifth straight season – and potentially win the division for the fourth straight time – the turnaround has to start now. Otherwise, those franchise-best streaks will end and it could be the end for head coach Todd Bowles in Tampa.

The Last Time…

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs and Giants last met in 2021, with Tampa Bay cruising to a 30-10 win on Monday Night Football at Raymond James Stadium. Tom Brady led an eight-play, 73-yard drive to open the game and get the home team up 7-0. But after Brady threw a second-quarter interception deep in his team’s own territory, New York turned that into a touchdown and knotted the game up at 10-10.

From that point, though, the Bucs scored the game’s final 20 points. A 6-yard touchdown run by Ronald Jones II, a touchdown pass from Brady to Mike Evans and two Ryan Succop field goals were more than enough as Tampa Bay finished with a sizable advantage in total yards (402-215), turnovers (3-1) and time of possession (35:39-24:21).

Brady was 30-of-46 for 307 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in that game while Evans led the way with six catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. Antoine Winfield Jr. recovered a fumble and both Mike Edwards and Steve McLendon came up with interceptions to lead the Buccaneer defense.

The Giants lead the all-time series between these two teams 15-9, but the Bucs have won the last two matchups and three of the last five.

How The Bucs And Giants Are Trending

These are two teams who are a combined 1-9 in their last 10 games. The Bucs haven’t won a game since beating the Saints on Oct. 13, and the Giants haven’t been in the win column since the week before that when they beat the Seahawks on the road. For Tampa Bay, though, there’s still some hope at turning everything around. The same can’t be said for New York.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

On the Bucs’ side of things, they’re 4-6 and sitting 1.5 games behind the Falcons for first place in the NFC South and 2.5 games behind the No. 7 seed in the NFC, which is currently the Commanders. Everything has gone downhill for Todd Bowles’ team in the last four weeks as it has seen 4-2 turn into 4-6. But there are some glimmers of hope to take into account when considering the Bucs’ chances of getting back on track and staying alive in the playoff race.

For one, this team has been dealt an unfortunate hand in terms of injuries this season. While Chris Godwin is lost for the season after he appeared to be on track for yet another 1,000-yard season, the Bucs will be getting healthier out of the bye week. No. 1 receiver Mike Evans could be back in action on Sunday afternoon, and cornerback Jamel Dean looks ready to make his return as well. Pair a healthier Bucs team with a considerably weaker schedule down these final seven weeks and the path is there for Bowles to turn this ship around the way he did last year.

There’s also the fact that the Bucs offense has stayed afloat without Evans and Godwin. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen has proven to be a home run hire, and the combination of Baker Mayfield and a revitalized run game has the offense still putting points. It’s been Bowles’ defense that hasn’t been able to hold up its end of things, but the Bucs were right there in games against the Falcons, Chiefs and 49ers in recent weeks. With only one of its final seven opponents being above .500, Tampa Bay could soon be trending in the right direction.

On the Giants’ side, there’s no longer any hope for the 2024 season. At 2-8, head coach Brian Daboll has decided to bench quarterback Daniel Jones in favor of Tommy DeVito, who went 3-3 in six starts last season. New York would currently be picking fourth in the 2025 Draft, and the final seven games of its season will be more about draft positioning and evaluating for the future than anything else.

Giants WR Malik Nabers Photo by: USA Today

Daboll’s future is unclear, and Jones’ days under center for the Giants are done. New York has scored more than 20 points just twice in 10 games this season, and its high mark for the year was 22 points in a Week 9 loss to the Commanders. The bright spots on offense have been two rookies, one being first-round wide receiver Malik Nabers (61 catches, 607 yards, 10.0 avg., 3 touchdowns) and the other being fifth-round running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (107 carries, 545 yards, 5.1 avg., 3 touchdowns).

New York’s defense has been exceptionally strong against the pass, thanks in large part to its pass rush. That unit has three players with 6+ sacks, as Brian Burns and Azeez Ojulari both have six and Dexter Lawrence leads the way from the interior with nine. The Giants’ 36 team sacks is the second-best mark in the NFL this season, trailing only the Broncos’ 39. The Broncos, of course, sacked Baker Mayfield seven times in their Week 3 win over the Bucs.

Here’s how the Bucs and Giants stack up heading into Week 12:

Bucs Offense: 5th in scoring offense (27.9 PPG), T-7th in total offense (361.5 yards per game), 10th in passing offense (236.2 yards per game), 10th in rushing offense (125.3 yards per game)

Giants Offense: 32nd in scoring offense (15.6 PPG), 24th in total offense (309.7 yards per game), 26th in passing offense (189.8 yards per game), 14th in rushing offense (119.9 yards per game)

Bucs Defense: 27th in scoring defense (26.6 points allowed per game), 30th in total defense (389.3 yards allowed per game), 30th in passing defense (264.1 yards allowed per game), 16th in rushing defense (125.2 yards allowed per game)

Giants Defense: T-16th in scoring defense (22.2 points allowed per game), 17th in total defense (331.3 yards allowed per game), 4th in passing defense (184.2 yards allowed per game), 29th in rushing defense (147.1 yards allowed per game)

As of Wednesday night, the Bucs were 6-point favorites with the Over/Under set at 41.5 (per BetUS).

What Might Decide This Bucs-Giants Matchup?

Bucs RB Bucky Irving and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

If Tampa Bay can get Mike Evans back for this game, it’ll be a massive shot of life into an offense that has fared better than expected without him. Missing Chris Godwin will still hurt, but the return of Evans would/will give Baker Mayfield his top target back, plus it could open up some opportunities for tight end Cade Otton and some of the depth receivers to find space in the defense with so much attention on the future Hall of Fame receiver.

Of course, the big test for this Bucs offense in this game will be keeping the Giants’ formidable pass rush in check. It’s a bad time to be without Pro Bowl left tackle Tristan Wirfs. What does help, though, is Tampa Bay’s ability to run the ball. Rachaad White and Bucky Irving could be in for a big day against a New York defense that is allowing 147.1 yards per game on the ground.

As much as the Bucs will be happy to get Evans back on offense, there’s a case to be made that the return of Jamel Dean could prove just as important given the struggles the Tampa Bay defense is having. The pass rush hasn’t been good enough from the outside linebackers and the inside linebackers have been a mess in coverage for much of the year, but having to go from a veteran like Dean to inexperienced and not-yet-ready corners like Tyrek Funderburk and Josh Hayes has been tough for the defense.

Giants QB Tommy DeVito – Photo by: USA Today

To win this game, the Giants will need some magic from Tommy DeVito. He was a fun story when Daniel Jones was hurt a year ago, coming in and playing nine games, with six starts. New York was 3-3 in those six starts, and the former Syracuse quarterback completed 64% of his passes for 1,101 yards and eight touchdowns to three interceptions. He’ll need to play mistake-free football and distribute the ball to his playmakers to get something going for his team.

What helps DeVito is that he has a true No. 1 receiver in rookie Malik Nabers. The No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft has looked the part this season, even with Jones struggling the way he has. Nabers has two 100-yard games to his name in eight games played, and the fact that Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson and Tyrone Tracy Jr. are there to give him some support in terms of production has been a plus.

The best hope for the New York defense against Liam Coen‘s Tampa Bay offense is to take advantage of the absence of Wirfs and get after Mayfield early and often. If the Giants can neutralize the Bucs passing game and limit Mayfield’s escapability, it could take a dimension away from the offensive game plan. Of course, that still requires the Giants to hold up against the run, which isn’t something they’ve been able to do this year.

Key Players To Watch

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: USA Today

As much as it feels like Rachaad White‘s season is being a bit underrated due to the flashiness of Bucky Irving, it is Irving who gets the spotlight here. The rookie is Tampa Bay’s leading rusher this season, with 492 yards and five touchdowns on 96 carries. He’s averaging 5.1 yards per carry and can do some special things with the football, as he’s shifty enough, slippery enough and strong enough to force some serious missed tackles. He’s shown reliable hands, too, catching 26 of his 28 targets for 188 yards. Against a bad New York defense, this could be a big day for Irving.

When Tykee Smith has been healthy, he’s been one of the better playmakers on the field for Tampa Bay’s defense. The rookie out of Georgia has 42 tackles (30 solo), two tackles for loss, five passes defensed, an interception and three forced fumbles over the first eight games of his rookie campaign. Look for him to get the final stretch of the season off to a strong start on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. has been another rookie running back to burst onto the scene in 2024. In what has largely been a bad season for the Giants offense, Tracy has been great. Like Irving, he’s averaging 5.1 yards per carry and has led the way over the more-established Devin Singletary, who was signed this offseason after Saquon Barkley left for Philadelphia. In addition to his 545 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, Tracy has 18 catches for 117 yards in the passing game.

Giants OLB Brian Burns Photo by: USA Today

Brian Burns is plenty familiar with the Bucs, having spent the first five seasons of his career with the Panthers in the NFC South. He has four sacks in 10 career games against Tampa Bay, including one the last time he squared off with Baker Mayfield and Co. in Week 18 of the 2023 season. Just weeks before that, he was ejected from the matchup in Tampa after he threw a punch at Cody Mauch. Now, Burns is a key part of New York’s impressive pass rush, and he’ll be one of the guys looking to take advantage of the fact that Tristan Wirfs will be sidelined for the contest.

Bucs at Giants Game Information

When: Sunday, November 24
Where: MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: CBS – Andrew Catalon (Play by Play), Tiki Barber & Jason McCourty (Analysts), AJ Ross (Reporter)
Bucs Radio: 98Rock – Gene Deckerhoff (Play by Play), Dave Moore (Color), T.J. Rives (Reporter)
Spanish Radio: 96.1 Caliente – Carlos Bohorquez (Play by Play), Martín Gramática (Analyst), Santiago Gramática (Reporter)