First down and tackling will be the key on defense. Per ESPN:
Chris Ivory had a season-high 107 rushing yards on 21 attempts on Thursday. Most of his damage came between the tackles, where he had 78 yards and a touchdown on 18 attempts. On the night, Ivory had 56 yards after contact, his second-highest total on the season. Ivory ranks first in the NFL with 2.68 yards after contact per rush this season.-- Chris Ivory had 10 rushes for 54 yards on first down. Coming into the game, Ivory ranked second in the NFL with 5.75 yards per rushing attempt on 36 first-down rushes. Since the start of last season, Geno Smith's 15 turnovers on 1st down is the most in the NFL ahead of Eli Manning with 14. Geno also has a 55 percent completion percentage on 1st down which is the worst in the NFL.