Week 13 in the NFL is set to come to a close at Gillette Stadium on Monday night, as the Patriots will welcome the Giants to Foxborough for a primetime clash.
New England enters this one on an absolute tear, bolstering a 10–2 record while holding a two-game lead over the Bills in the AFC East. Additionally, the Patriots are on a nine-game winning streak—having not lost since their late-September, turnover-filled matchup against the Steelers.
The Giants, meanwhile, are just 2–10 and even worse, have yet to win on the road. New York fired coach Brian Daboll in early November and has since appointed Mike Kafka to take over in the interim. Even still, New York has yet to log a win since their upset over the Eagles just over seven weeks ago.
While this one features two teams heading in opposite directions, anything can happen on any given Sunday—err, Monday—in the NFL. And with that, here are three bold predictions for Patriots vs. Giants.
Jaxson Dart will return in style, rushing for 50-plus yards and a score on the ground
Quarterback Jaxson Dart missed the Giants’ last two games after suffering a concussion in their Week 10 loss to the Bears. He is set to return to on Monday night after passing protocol, and is in line to start under center once again.
Dart has been impressive to begin his rookie season, throwing for 1,417 yards on a 62.7% completion percentage while notching 10 touchdown passes to just three interceptions. What’s been really impressive, however, is his rushing ability.
Over his first seven NFL starts, Dart has ran for 317 yards and seven touchdowns—finding paydirt in all but one of them. Additionally, he’s averaging just over 45 yards per game and 5.6 yards per carry.
New England—once the league’s top run-stopping unit—has faltered of late, surrendering its first 100-yard rusher last week and allowing a 50-plus-yard rusher in three straight games. Look for Dart to exploit this on Monday night, topping 50 yards on the ground while a rushing for a touchdown.
Drake Maye will get sacked four-plus times for the first time in a month
While quarterback Drake Maye has been sensational to begin his second NFL season—accounting for 23 total touchdowns while leading the NFL in completion percentage—he’s also found himself on the ground a whole bunch.
Heading into Monday night (keep in mind that the Patriots haven’t played yet), Maye has been sacked the fourth-most times in the NFL (37). On top of that, he’s also been pressured the third-most times (174) and is facing the league’s second-highest pressure rate among quarterbacks who have started 12 games (39.7%).
With left tackle Will Campbell and left guard Jared Wilson sidelined on Monday night due to injury, it’s fair to assume that Maye will face plenty of pressure against a dominant Giants front. Given the circumstances, I’m predicting he gets sacked at least four times for the first time since early November.
Giants will pull off the upset, sending the Patriots into their bye week with their first loss since September
Win streaks have to end at some point, don’t they?
While the Patriots have quickly turned around a 4–13 finish from a season ago and somehow become one of the NFL’s few darlings, their positive momentum feels ripe for the taking this Monday night.
On one sideline, New England has played 12 straight games, has yet to have their bye week, and is dealing with a surplus of injuries heading into the final month of the season. On the other, the Giants—while certainly inconsistent—have played competitive football, holding double-digit leads in seven games this season, even if they’ve managed to win only two of them.
MORE: The Patriots’ Injury Luck May Have Finally Reached Its Breaking Point
This one has upset written all over it. I'm predicting New York to win a tight one over the Patriots, 20–17, and in turn squandering their hopes of riding a 10-game win streak into their bye week.
