Giants at Bucs, Week 3: Big Blue View staff picks

Will the Daniel Jones era as quarterback of the New York Giants begin with a victory or a defeat? Here are your Big Blue View staff picks for this Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Chris Pflum

I'm going to be upfront here: I have no clue what is going to happen Sunday.

I don't know if Daniel Jones will be an improvement over Eli Manning. I don't know if the return of Sterling Shepard and his ability to separate will let the more aggressive passing game the Giants used against the Bills be effective. I don't know if the defensive will be able to get pressure on Jameis Winston. I have O.J. Howard in my fantasy lineup, but I don't know if he will be a non-factor again. I don't know if the secondary will be able to deal with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin or if Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram will run wild with the Bucs' defense missing Devin White.

There are so many moving parts to this game.

Overall, I do think Tampa is in a better place than the Giants and are fighting for a division that is very much up for grabs. And as I said last week, I can't pick the Giants to win until they really show me they can win a game -- not just not lose one.

As for my prediction for the score: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Season record: 2-0

Joe DeLeone

Let’s try this again. This week will be the best opportunity for the Giants to secure their first win. The Buccaneers are an extremely inconsistent team with a weak defense and a quarterback with an affinity to throw risky passes.

Now that Danny Dimes is under center, it feels like this team has new life injected into it. Jones will likely not torch the Bucs in his first ever start. However, this offense will move much smoother and efficiently with him under center. When Eli Manning started, there was more of a willingness to abandon the run and throw on all three downs when facing a deficit. Because Jones is extremely inexperienced they can willingly lean on Saquon Barkley for more than 25 touches.

Pick: Giants 21, Buccaneers 17
Season record: 1-1

Joseph Czikk

The good news is that the Bucs don’t really scare anyone. The bad news is that the Giants are alsom... “amidst challenging times” shall we say.

Starting Daniel Jones against the Bucs isn’t the worst thing ever. Their defense isn’t too bad after two games - 8th in yards allowed - but I get the sense that starting your first NFL game at Raymond James Stadium isn’t the most intimidating of experiences. It’s a good scenario for Danny Dimes to drop in on his first NFL start.

Will the Giants win? I don’t think they will because this defense just isn’t strong enough. That’s even taking into consideration that the Giants offense - even with a hobbled receiving corps - was better than the Bucs while Eli was under center. The problem is that we’ll likely have to be patient while Jones gets the first game jitters out. And, yeah - the defense thing.

Pick: Bucs 27, Giants 20
Season record: 2-0

Mark Schofield

Starting a rookie quarterback, on the road, against a team coming off a mini bye week. Usually this is not the best recipe for success. There might be some new energy with the offense as “Danny Dimes” takes over, but the real problems in front of the Giants right now might be in the secondary. Bruce Arians has shown an ability throughout his career to get the most out of his quarterbacks, and the matchup between the Tampa Bay offense and the New York defense might tell the story.

Pick: Buccaneers 24, Giants 20
Season record: 2-0

Matt Williamson

Going to Tampa looks like a winnable game for the Giants and it is, but I will still take the Bucs. Todd Bowles throws an awful lot at opposing quarterbacks and will prove very challenging for Daniel Jones. While Jameis Winston absolutely could keep New York in this game with turnovers, I suspect that Winston’s receiving weapons will be more than the Giants secondary can handle.

Pick: Buccaneers 27, Giants 20
Season record: 2-0

Ed Valentine

I have to admit that I am really wrestling with this one. I wrote in Saturday’s mailbag that I really believe Pat Shurmur doesn’t see switching to Daniel Jones as giving up on the 2019 season. I really believe that he feels it’s the best thing to do, both for the present and for the future.

Jones was magical in the preseason, but playing a real game against an aggressive, veteran defensive coordinator like Todd Bowles is going to be different.

It would be really easy, and safe, to simply pick the Buccaneers. Per Pickwatch, 91 percent of the selectors the site monitors are doing exactly that. I’m not going with the majority.

Pat Shurmur’s gut said it was time for the switch to Jones. My gut says the Giants get their first victory on Sunday.

Pick: Giants 24, Bucs 21
Season record: 1-1