4 key matchups to watch as Buccaneers take on Giants
By Jamil King
Daniel Jones vs. Todd Bowles:
The Giants have chosen to start Jones against the Bucs in his NFL debut after being selected as the sixth overall pick last April. They have finally seen enough for the old man Eli Manning and are deciding to run with the rookie.
Last season that would have been a good idea to ease a rookie in against the Buccaneers, and to the casual fan it might sound cool as well. In the words of college football legend Lee Corso: “Not so fast, my friend!”
The Buccaneers’ defense, led by defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, is nowhere near the same unit from last year as they are playing with speed and confidence. In fact, two games in and both opposing quarterbacks have struggled against this unit.
Niners’ quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was held to 166 yards passing and only one touchdown, while Cam Newton had 333 yards passing, but took him 51 passing attempts to get to that number.
Newton was also being harassed all night by NFC Defensive Player of the Week Shaquil Barrett. With Jones set to start this Sunday, expect more of the same from Bowles and the Buccaneers’ defense as they will look to throw the kitchen sink at the rookie quarterback.