Giants at Bills: Welcome Back, Kevin Everett

To get you ready for week 16, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the New York Giants/Buffalo Bills preview.

2007 Records:

New York Giants: 9-5 (2nd in NFC East)
Buffalo Bills: 7-7 (2nd in AFC East)

Last Game(s):

Redskins 22 - Giants 10
Browns 8 - Bills 0

When the Bills have the ball: Buffalo has had some major success running the ball in recent weeks and it's unlikely they'll stray away from that this weekend. The combination of Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch has proven quite formidable, and if the weather report holds up (rain and high winds), the Bills will need that duo to have a huge game.

Defensively, the Giants should know exactly what's coming. Unless their own offensive coordinator switches sides before kickoff, it's going to be all about the ground game. In fact, no team in the league other than the Giants would pass 52 times when the winds are above 25 miles per hour.
When the Giants have the ball: Who knows what to expect from New York anymore. Common sense would say this game should be played on the ground, but that was the case last week as well and they aired it out repeatedly. Will Kevin Gilbride call a similar game? Well, your guess is as good as mine. What they should do, however, is pound Brandon Jacobs all day long ... and not just to the left side.

Like the Giants, Buffalo should know exactly what's coming. Then again, they probably watched film from last week and are preparing for Eli Manning to air it out from start to finish. Either way, everything seems to be in their favor -- from the weather on down.

The Edge: Experts, analysts and fans are always looking for the "edge" and what team has it. So, who has it this week? That's simple ... the Buffalo Bills. It doesn't matter how dire the situation is for New York, Kevin Everett returning to the sidelines will be the ultimate motivation.

Keep an eye on:

Giants DTs versus Bills interior lineman - If the Giants hope to have any chance at victory tomorrow, it will start with a solid performance by their defensive tackles, Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield.

The Bills versus themselves - There's no doubt that Everett is going to inspire Buffalo to play well, but the Bills have to make sure not to burn themselves out in the first half. An initial surge may be a positive, but not at the expense of mental exhaustion as the game moves along.

Note: I don't care what team you root for, the story of Kevin Everett's return is an amazing one. I, myself, am a Giants fan, but the game is secondary to me. What I really want to see if Everett walking onto that field in front of thousands upon thousands of cheering fans, players and coaches. It will be the highlight of the entire week and something most people will never forget.