Stanford alum Okereke delivers masterful performance for New York Giants

Do not run the ball near Okereke, or else expect the star linebacker to make a play.

Oct 28, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) runs the ball against New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

If you saw the Monday Night Football game this week, you may have noticed that the New York Giants were on defense for a large portion of the game, with the offense unable to really get anything going and struggling to move the ball. However, when watching the Giants defense work hard at containing Russell Wilson and the Steelers, one player who was consistently getting involved in every play was none other than former Stanford linebacker Bobby Okereke, who arguably put together one of the best games of his six year career.

In the 26-18 loss, Okereke was pivotal on defense for New York, flying to the ball and helping keep things close until the very end. Okereke’s best two games of the season previously came in weeks two and three, when he recorded eight tackles in both games while also being involved in getting to the quarterback. However, week eight was where Okereke really made his presence known, finishing the game with 14 total tackles against the Steelers, half a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Okereke’s 14 tackles on Monday is the first game this season that he has had double digit tackles, doing so seven times last year.

The fumble recovery came at a pivotal time, as late in the fourth quarter, Okereke and Micah McFadden teamed up to sack Wilson, with Okereke punching the ball out and recovering the fumble on the same play. His strong night allowed him to finish six tackles ahead of the Giants’ second leading tackler of the night.

In a season in which the Giants have struggled significantly on offense, particularly at the quarterback position, Okereke has been one of the team’s brightest stars, currently having 55 total tackles, 28 solo, while having a pair of sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. Named a captain for the Giants this season, Okereke’s second season in New York once again has him playing like one of the league’s best linebackers.

Signing a four-year deal with the Giants prior to the start of last year, Okereke previously spent the first four seasons of his career with the Indianapolis Colts, where a breakout 2022 campaign in which he played in all 17 games and finished with 151 tackles made him a highly coveted player once he became a free agent. Now that he is in New York, he will continue to lead the way in hopes of turning the Giants defense into one of the NFL’s most ferocious.

Falling to 2-6 following their loss to the Steelers, the Giants face an uphill climb to making the postseason this year, sitting in last place in the NFC East, but nine games remain for them to turn things around. Two more games remain before they go on their bye week, starting with their next game against the red-hot Washington Commanders. Kickoff is slated for Sunday at 10 a.m. (PT) at Metlife Stadium.