After holding off a late fourth-quarter run by Michael Vick and the Eagles last week, The Bills head to East Rutherford Sunday to try to further complicate the NFC East and hold their ground as AFC East leaders.
Banged-up Big Blue
The G-Men will have to deal with three key absences to their squad Sunday. On the defensive side, Pro-Bowl defensive end Justin Tuck will miss the game due to a neck and groin injury, and on the other side of the ball, guard Chris Snee is out with a concussion while running back Brandon Jacobs will sit with knee issues.
“Obviously in the beginning I was not thinking it would be an issue like this,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin told the media regarding Jacobs Thursday. He gets treatment all day long but so far it hasn’t really taken care of the swelling.”
With the loss of both Snee and Jacobs, expect the Bills' defense to pressure New York's running game, which has gone from sixth best in the league last year to fifth worst this year. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw hasn't broken 100 yards in a game thus far, but against the 29th-ranked rush defense, the Giants' will likely look to him for consistent yardage and to balance out Eli Manning’s downfield shots.
Action Jackson
The Bills' rushing attack is a far less complicated issue, as Fred Jackson comes off his most productive game of the season against the Eagles after amassing nearly 200 all-purpose yards. With the Giants' run defense looking nothing like the effective squad of a year ago, Jackson is poised for another big game.
“Yeah, Freddy been holding us down man, he’s been starting things off,” Bills' wide receiver Steve Johnson told reporters Wednesday. “Just the fire that he has and you look in his eyes when he’s in the huddle, OK this dude’s ready to work, let’s bring it with him … this is our brother, and he’s out there holding it down for us, for real.”
Jackson was successful last week despite the fact that Philadelphia is one of the best defenses in getting into the backfield, as the Eagles came into the game leading the league in sacks. Pressure in the backfield isn't something Jackson will get a rest from, as the Giants' pass rush is just as deadly and now leads the league in that category. Bills coach Chan Gailey praised the defensive front of the Giants, but instilled confidence in his running back Wednesday.
“They’re (the front seven) big, strong, physical people," Gailey said. "Their safeties support well. They’re another big, strong team that we’ve got to face. He (Jackson) is such a versatile football player. There are some people that restrict you. He restricts you in no way, shape or form.”
Red-Zone Rivalry
The Bills and Giants are ranked first and second, respectively, in offensive red zone production this season, and whether or not these two teams can get six inside the 20 may prove to be the deciding factor.
“Probably if you said there was one thing is probably the emergence of (Scott) Chandler in the red zone has probably helped us a lot,” Gailey said. “You can still run the ball now. It’s not just pass only. He can come in there and block or he can slip out and make some plays in the red zone, which he has. They’re doing a great job of executing in the red zone.”
Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is behind only Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for most red-zone touchdowns thus far, and all four of Chandler's touchdowns this season have been inside the red zone.
Notes: One more field goal will give kicker Rian Lindell 200 as a Bill; The Bills continue to lead the league in sacks allowed, only giving up four so far; The Giants are tied for fourth in the league in passing plays more than 25 yards with 14; Forecast for East Rutherford looks to be pleasant, sunny in the mid-60s.
Tweet
