5 things to watch as Giants face Bills in Week 6

The Giants’ season seems to be going from bad to worse. After a series of injuries, their offense is predictably ranked as the worst in the league and things don’t get any easier this week as they will need to try to keep pace with a top-five offense on national television on Sunday night. 

And they will have to do so with backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor starting in place of an injured Daniel Jones and a struggling offensive line down (at least) three starters. Also, the 3-2 Buffalo Bills will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to the Jaguars in London.

Here are some of the biggest stories to watch as Big Blue look to avoid dropping to 1-5 on the season:

Will the Giants be able to force some turnovers again this week?

The Giants hadn’t forced any turnovers in the first four games but managed to force three in last weekend’s matchup in Miami, including Jason Pinnock’s interception which he returned for a touchdown. In addition, it was the first time they hadn’t turned the ball over on offense. Despite this, they still lost by two touchdowns, but this did keep the game closer than most expected.

The Bills have turned the ball over six times in their two losses but only once in their three wins, so clearly this is one way the Giants can give themselves a chance to upset them.

Can the Giants slow down Stefon Diggs?

Diggs is currently leading the NFL in touchdown receptions and he’s third in receptions and sixth in receiving yards with four 100-yard games already. Stopping him will prove a big challenge for the Giants’ young secondary.

The Giants have already faced top receivers like Ceedee Lamb, Deebo Samuel, DK Metcalf and Tyreek Hill in each of their four losses. Lamb was the only one of the four that didn’t catch a touchdown pass and Metcalf was the only one with less than 75 receiving yards.

Will Kayvon Thibodeaux continue to produce?

Although the Giants have been struggling, Thibodeaux has been answering some of his critics with four sacks in the last three games. However, he hasn’t done much else, so is this just a case of being in the right place at the right time to take advantage of some opportunities to clean up?

In order to really prove himself, and to make the optimal contribution to the Giants’ efforts on Sunday, Thibodeaux needs to increase his pressure rates and hold up much better against the run.

Can the Giants exploit the Bills’ recent injury problems?

Having already lost their best cornerback Tre’Davious White a couple of weeks ago, Buffalo suffered an additional double-blow in London. All-pro linebacker Matt Milano broke his leg and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, who had been having a great season, also suffered an injury that has landed him on injured reserve.

Even if the Bills have adequate depth to overcome these major losses, there could be an initial adjustment period, so the Giants will need to try to take advantage of any missed assignments.

Although these players were lost last week, stud pass rusher Von Miller made his return and he’ll be eager to feast on the Giants’ struggling offensive line after not making much of an impact in his first appearance of the year.

Could the Giants look to involve their rookies on offense more this week?

Against the Dolphins, the Giants turned to rookie running back Eric Gray to see if his fresh legs could give their running game a boost, but he didn’t have much of an impact. With Saquon Barkley’s status once again uncertain, Gray could potentially get some more opportunities.

In the passing game, perhaps now is the time to try and get another rookie, Jalin Hyatt, more involved. The speedster had some big plays earlier in the season, but he has just two catches for 10 yards in the last three games. Hyatt is probably the team’s biggest vertical threat and the offensive line struggles have impacted how often the Giants have been able to air it out. Should they try to find some other ways to exploit his speed, though?