Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images We spoke with SB Nation’s Giants blog about the Patriots’ Week 12 opponent. The New England Patriots and New York Giants meet annually in preseason, but when it comes to regular season football they are quite unfamiliar with one another: playing in different conferences, they are scheduled to meet only once every four years — and there has been quite a bit of change on both sides since October 2019. So, in order to get a better understanding of who the Patriots will be up against in Week 12, we exchanged questions with Ed Valentine of Pats Pulpit’s sister site Big Blue View — the SB Nation community for all things Giants. Here is what Ed told us about the upcoming game. 1. Tommy DeVito showed some playmaking ability last week against the Commanders. What are your impressions of the rookie through four games? When I saw him in the spring I did not think he belonged in the league. I thought he was roster fill until the Giants could find a better third QB. So, I’m surprised. There is something there. He can throw an accurate ball. He has toughness. He has a little swagger. He is very inexperienced, and it shows in some of the sacks he takes. He also doesn’t have a big arm. He’s a local New Jersey high school hero, and a bright spot in a bad year. 2. Brian Daboll did a great job of using Saquon Barkley as a runner, receiver, and even decoy in Washington. How do you expect him to be deployed against New England? The same. The Giants will ride Barkley as much as they can. 3. Dexter Lawrence is putting up DPOY-type production this season. What’s been the key to his dominant campaign? Has anyone managed to slow him down? Dexter Lawrence is a great player. Since Andre Patterson became defensive line coach when Brian Daboll was hired as head coach, Lawrence has really ascended. He wanted to be great, and Patterson helped him learn how. Lawrence is a powerful 350-pound man with the movement skills of a much smaller man. He has a tremendous desire to be great, and I think that drives him. 4. Who are three players Patriots fans may not know, but should get familiar with before Sunday’s matchup? Linebacker Micah McFadden was a fifth-round pick a year ago, and looked like a career backup and special teamer. Now, he looks like a stud linebacker. Safety Jason Pinnock is a third-year player and is ascending. On offense, tight end Daniel Bellinger is seeing an increased role with Darren Waller on IR. 5. Our pals at DraftKings Sportsbook have the Patriots favored in a game I doubt either fan base wants their team to win. Who are you pulling for in this one? I hate tanking. I always want to see a team do everything in its power to win. There are Giants fans who will be happy if they lose. I don’t think that way. Check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation. Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/2023/11/25/2 ... -12-devito
