Giants need defense to come up big to pull off upset over favored Bills
So … you’re telling me there’s a chance?
The consensus among the sharps who produce point spreads and odds on the NFL gives the Giants a mere 10 percent chance to defeat the Bills Sunday night at Highmark Stadium.
That, of course, is hardly promising for a 1-4 Giants team that’s reeling and desperately trying to keep its season from going completely sideways before Halloween.
When the Giants play the 3-2 Bills, they’ll do so likely without their starting quarterback, Daniel Jones (neck injury); without their best offensive lineman, left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring); and possibly without their top playmaker, running back Saquon Barkley (ankle).
Their injury-ravaged offensive line will likely be comprised mostly of backups and players playing out of position as they try to protect backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who last started a game in 2021.
The Giants’ defense is another story. It’s healthy and it’s whole, and it has no excuses.
The Giants’ defense represents the team’s only chance to beat a Bills team that’s favored by two touchdowns and has a 90 percent chance to win according to “implied probability based on money line,’’ according to Fox Sports.
So … you’re telling me there’s a chance?
The Giants’ defense is their chance.
The defense needs to step up for the team’s wounded offense.
“I think it’s just extra motivation for us to hold ourselves to a higher standard,’’ linebacker Bobby Okereke told The Post after practice Thursday. “We know the potential we have. We know the odds are stacked against us. This is a reminder to keep pushing toward how great we can be and this is motivation to get there.’’
Last Sunday in South Florida, Wink Martindale’s defense finally showed some signs of big-play life — forcing three turnovers and returning one of them, an interception, for a touchdown. The problem was the rash of big plays the Giants yielded to the speedy Dolphins offense that resulted in a lopsided, 31-16 loss.
Sunday in Buffalo, the Giants’ defense needs to force those three or so turnovers and not allow those big plays to Bills swashbuckling quarterback Josh Allen and his top receiver, Stefon Diggs, two players Giants head coach Brian Daboll is highly familiar with, having been their offensive coordinator from 2018-21.
Allen ranks fifth in the NFL with 1,407 passing yards, is averaging 281.4 passing yards per game, has a 73.1 percent completion rate with 11 TDs (second in the league) and five INTs. He, too, has rushed for 120 yards and three TDs.
Most coaches loathe comparing players to other players. Martindale, the Giants’ colorful defensive coordinator, makes a sport of it.
“All right, ready?’’ Martindale said Thursday when asked about Allen. “[Dan] Marino’s arm, [Derrick] Henry’s legs and Steph Curry’s mindset. [Curry] thinks he can hit it from anywhere on the court, and that’s the same way Josh is.’’
Marino. Henry. Curry. That’s a lot to deal with — one of the NFL’s best all-time quarterbacks, one of the league’s current toughest running backs and one of the NBA’s all-time best sharpshooters.
Allen stands in the way of the Giants either beginning to save their season and remaining relevant into November or free-falling to 1-5.
“He’s just an unbelievable elite quarterback in finding some extra time to hit the open receiver in tight windows,’’ Martindale said. “And, he’s got one of the strongest arms in the league.’’
Martindale would do well for himself (and he surely already has) to take a hard look at what the Jets, with head coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, have done to Allen in the past three meetings, winning two of the games while holding him to two TDs and five INTs and sacking him 13 times.
The Giants need to generate some of that Jets defensive mojo.
That will require their two highest-paid defensive players — Dexter Lawrence (four years, $90 million) and Leonard Williams (three years, $63 million) — to make more of an impact than they have the first five games. Lawrence has no sacks, one tackle for a loss and five QB hits. Williams has a half sack, no tackles for a loss and just three QBs hits.
That’s not what you’d term bang for the Giants bucks. Allen doesn’t like pressure up the middle and that’s what Lawrence and Williams must provide.
Second-year edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux has shown signs of progress from his rookie season, having produced four sacks and five QB hits along with a fumble recovery.
