When it comes to stopping the Giants running game, the Patriots should have a pretty easy task. That being said, they won't improve their defensive stats unless they keep the team under 78 yards. Expected to be the main back tonight is third year player Elijhaa Penny. In his 46 career rushing attempts, Penny has gone up the middle 21 times. When it comes to being part of the passing game, Penny has 13 career receptions with 10 of them coming on the right side of the field.
The two receivers who the Patriots will need to keep an eye on are rookie Darius Slayton and 10 year veteran Golden Tate. Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem.
Pretty much the only way I see this game being close is if both the Patriots' offense and special teams have several miscues that the Giants capitalize on. Should the Giants try to rush only 3 players, I expect the offense to make adjustments much quicker than last week. Other than that, I actually think we may see a relatively strong showing by the Patriots offense.
While my memory was telling me that Brady hasn't played well on Thursdays, his stats say otherwise. In his 20 career games that weren't played on a Sunday or Monday, Brady has run for 4 touchdowns and has his best quarterback rating. Specifically on Thursday nights, Brady is 10-1 for his career.
Unless someone breaks loose for a 40 yard gain, I don't expect to see anyone hit the century mark on the ground. However, I do expect to see Sony combine for 100 as he'll see a few passes come his way. I think we might see Gunner Olszewski get his first offensive touch of his career today.