Terry Glenn is fourth in the NFL with 235 receiving yards.

Following last week's 50-21 loss to Washington, the Giants have a yeoman's task ahead of them. They have to prove they have a capable offense. You'd like to say the Giants can't get out of character and try to turn a game against the potent Patriots into a high-scoring affair, but they might have to -- for Fassel's sake and to have a chance to win.

As for the Patriots, they will be playing at home in front of an out-of-control crowd after winning two games against two divisional teams in the final minutes. In talking to some New England players, they are playing with a chip on their shoulders. The preseason media picked them fourth in the AFC, behind the Jets, Dolphins and Bills and ahead of the Colts. The Patriots felt they got no respect and are now playing like a mad, inspired football team. They are playing with attitude.

Here are the keys to Sunday's game for each team:

New York Giants
1. Get pressure on Drew Bledsoe: The best matchup for the Giants is up front with their front seven against a banged-up Patriots offensive line, especially with defensive end Michael Strahan. Drew Bledsoe has no problem throwing the ball 45 times, so the Giants will need to get in his face.

If you look at the matchups in the secondary, the Giants safeties -- Percy Ellsworth and Sam Garnes -- are around 225 pounds. The New York defense is built to provide good run support up the middle.

Cornerback Jason Sehorn is supposedly going to back. So they will have Sehorn, Phillippi Sparks, Conrad Hamilton and Jeremy Lincoln in the secondary.

From a pass-coverage standpoint, I don't like any of those matchups against the Patriots' receivers. So their best chance for success will come from the front seven disrupting Bledsoe's timing.

2. Don't allow big plays: In order to keep the Patriots from producing 40- to 50-yard plays, everything begins with Terry Glenn, the key to the Patriots offense. He makes everything else happen. His speed can stretch the field and allow tight end Ben Coates to work underneath. Glenn's presence has elevated New England's passing game. He's the playmaker and the player Bledsoe looks to for big plays.

Normally, Sehorn would be assigned to Glenn because you take the best corner and put him on the best receiver. But Sehorn has had a hamstring problem. He is coming back from knee injury and hasn't played yet this year. I think it would be a big mistake to put Sehorn on Glenn. Sparks is good enough to go one-on-one with Glenn, freeing up Sehorn to defend someone like Shawn Jefferson. That will allow the Giants a better opportunity to prevent big pass plays.

3. Avoid a track meet: The Giants can't allow the Patriots to take a substantial lead, like 17 to 21 points. The Giants need to keep time of possession. They need to gain yards running and throwing the football. Going with rookie Sean Bennett the first two weeks, the Giants are 30th in the league in rushing, so the ground game must improve.

They don't have anyone who can beat cornerback Ty Law one-on-one. Ike Hilliard and Amani Toomer both had more than 100 yards receiving last week, but the Giants had to throw the ball to come back. The Giants need to put points on the board somehow. I don't believe the Giants, if they get behind, can get back.

New England Patriots
1. Offensive line protection: The Patriots have one advantage against Strahan if right tackle Zefross Moss is out. Most quarterbacks are right handed, like Bledsoe, and Zampese is a right-handed coach, meaning he's going to put the tight end to the right. So Strahan, regardless of who is playing right tackle, will have to work around two people all the time. Strahan is capable of doing that, but it's still one more body in his way.

It's easier for the Patriots to compensate for the loss of a right tackle as opposed to a left tackle. Then, they can have a back chipping on the end and get the back out on a passing route. This is where someone with Terry Allen's experience becomes so important.

2. Patience, patience, patience: The Patriots will try to throw the ball deep and risk interceptions downfield. If Bledsoe throws three or four interceptions, it doesn't matter. He will continue to throw the ball for 60 minutes. The Giants want to make the Patriots grind it out and put together 10- to 12-play drives because Zampese and Bledsoe aren't that patient. It's not Zampese's style to pound it out, but they will want to run the ball late in the game to protect a lead.

The Pats will have some kind of running game with Allen in the backfield. When there were rumors in the offseason that Allen was negotiating with the Patriots, I thought he would be a perfect fit. He had some productive years in Minnesota and Washington, and he's come off surgery on both knees. But when he becomes more comfortable in New England's offense, he'll be the best running back Bledsoe has had since Curtis Martin.

3. Stop the Giants on first down: In order to put pressure on Kent Graham, New England will need to force the Giants into long-yardage situations; that begins on first down. One player on the Patriots defense who has played great is Willie McGinest. He has developed a nasty attitude and a great ability to pressure the quarterback. Putting the Giants in second or third and long, or known passing downs, gives McGinest an opportunity to excel.

Lawyer Milloy and Law are standouts in a solid secondary, and the linebackers can run and stuff the run. Milloy is a hitting missile who nails anyone running past the line of scrimmage. The Patriots defense is tied for the league lead with eight takeaways and knows it can create opportunities for the offense to score points.

Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann works as a game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football. He breaks down the Sunday night matchup every week for ESPN.com.