The Sports Xchange

New York Giants (1-2) at Buffalo Bills (2-1)

Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, N.Y. – TV: FOX

*TV announcers: Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Laura Okmin

*Keys to the game: The Giants are averaging just 3.6 yards per carry and 93.3 rushing yards per game, and establishing the ground game won’t be easy against the league’s top-ranked run defense. That will again leave QB Eli Manning facing a constant uphill battle in long passing downs. The Bills will attempt to get to Manning with a four-man pass rush. That’s where the game could be won or lost – Manning has been sacked just three times on the season and given time he will be attacking the league’s second-worst pass defense (326.7 yards per game).

The Bills may not know until game day if RB LeSean McCoy (hamstring) will be available, but rookie Karlos Williams leads the team with 186 yards on a whopping 7.8 yards per carry. That top-ranked ground game is boosted by the dynamic dual-threat of QB Tyrod Taylor, who is completing 74.4 percent of his passes with seven TDs against three INTs while adding 96 yards on 17 carries. The Giants have struggled against mobile quarterbacks in recent years and have preached this week about the need to maintain their assignments and gap integrity. New York could catch a break if WR Sammy Watkins is sidelined by a leg injury.

*Matchup to watch – Giants CB Jayron Hosley vs. Bills QB Tyrod Taylor: Former teammates at Virginia Tech, Hosley is well aware of Taylor’s dual-threat abilities. With Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie set to return from concussion, Hosley will move to the slot where he will need to be disciplined against the likes of WR Percy Harvin working over the middle and Taylor when he escapes the pocket.

*Player spotlight – Bills LCB Ronald Darby: Darby quietly leads the NFL with eight passes defense to go with two INTs, and will see plenty of time against Giants WR Rueben Randle (seven catches for 116 yards last week).

*Fast facts: The Giants pass defense has allowed 75 percent (left), 61.5 percent (middle), and 75.6 percent (right) of short pass attempts to go for completions of at least five yards. … Buffalo only has six drives into the red zone through three games, but has scored five TDs on them.

WHO WILL WIN AND WHY

The Bills enter with the 31st-ranked pass defense, but they do have five interceptions courtesy of the run defense consistently shutting opponents down. That’s a bad recipe for the run-challenged Giants and turnover-prone QB Eli Manning.

*Our pick: Bills 27-24.