After becoming the first team in NFL history to lose its first two games of the season despite holding double-digit fourth-quarter leads, the New York Giants grabbed a much-needed win last Thursday night against Washington. They look to make it two in a row on Sunday against a Buffalo Bills team that is coming off an impressive blowout win in Week 3 over the Miami Dolphins.
Giants vs. Bills 2015 live stream: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The Giants’ second-ranked run defense faces a huge challenge in stopping the Bills’ top-ranked ground game. The battle in the trenches will be one to watch on Sunday afternoon in Buffalo.
The Giants might have saved their season with that crucial win over Washington. Only three teams since 1990 have recovered from an 0-3 start to make the playoffs, so the odds would have been heavily stacked against them if they had lost. A 1-2 record through three games isn't something to go wild over, but in a muddled NFC East where three of the four teams already have two losses and the lone one-loss team (Dallas Cowboys) is playing without Tony Romo, there is optimism that the Giants can contend for a playoff berth and even a division title.
There's also this bit of historical karma potentially working in the Giants' favor -- the last time they played Washington in a Week 3 game was 2007. Like this season, they entered that matchup 0-2. The Giants won the game, kick-starting a six-game win streak that would propel them to a 10-6 finish and playoff berth. The rest is history -- they rolled through the postseason and knocked off a previously unbeaten New England Patriots team in the Super Bowl.
Although the Giants’ defense can’t consistently generate a pass rush (third-worst sack rate) and hasn’t been able to stop anyone on third down (last in third-down conversion defense), they have to be encouraged by a front seven that has done a good job shutting down the opponents’ rushing attack. The Giants have allowed the second-fewest rush yards (74.7) and fifth-fewest yards per carry (3.5) through the first three weeks.
New York's ability to stuff the ground game will be tested on Sunday against the Bills, who boast the league's top-ranked rushing offense. Buffalo is averaging an NFL-best 153 yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry (third in NFL), and no team has scored more rushing touchdowns (five) than the Bills this season. The numbers are even more impressive considering that LeSean McCoy has been limited with a lingering hamstring injury, and has only 146 yards on 43 rushes (3.4 yards per rush) in the first three games.
Rookie running back Karlos Williams has emerged as an explosive threat out of the backfield with a nose for the end zone, and is starting to look like a steal for the Bills as a fifth-round pick out of Florida State. Williams leads the NFL with 7.8 yards per carry and has run for a touchdown in each of his first three games. When McCoy finally gets healthy, it is looking like the Bills might have the best one-two backfield punch in the league. Combine that dynamic ball-control offense with a dominant defensive front, and the Bills could be really tough to beat this season.
At 2-1 and heading into a soft October schedule -- three of their four opponents are below .500 through three games -- the Bills have a chance to gain some momentum before their bye week and a much tougher second-half slate. Although it’s way too early to make predictions, signs are pointing towards this team as the one that finally gives fans in Buffalo a taste of playoff football for the first time since 1999.
How to Watch
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, N.Y.
TV: FOX
Commentators: Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Laura Okmin
Online: NFL Game Pass
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