Top 5 Giants To Watch In Week 7
The New York Giants are 5-1 to start the regular season and have shown no signs of letting up with their winning ways as they prepare to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday.
In each of their last two games, the Giants have looked out-of-sync in the first half, coming out of the gate slow to start in both games. However, in the second half, the Giants have looked at times unstoppable, surmounting comebacks that only moments before seemed well out of reach.
Against the Green Bay Packers, the Giants erased a 10-point deficit in the second half and scored 17 consecutive points in a statement-making 27-22 win in London. Last week, the Giants overcame another 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, scoring an unanswered 14 points against the Baltimore Ravens to come away with a 24-20 win.
This week, the Giants will take on a scrappy Jaguars team that has lost by no more than eight points this season. The Giants are in for a good test on the road as they try to bridge the gap between their lopsided play styles from half to half.
On that note, here’s a look at five players/position groups that carry integral roles in the Giants quest for a 6-1 start headed to Seattle.
DT Dexter Lawrence
The hottest player on this Giants defense is none other than defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. The 24-year-old has lived up to his potential this season, leading the team in both sacks (4) and pressures (22).
Of the 22 pressures he has, 15 have come over the last three games, including all four of his sacks. His dominance was exemplified last Sunday when Lawrence steamrolled former Giants guard Kevin Zeitler for his fourth sack of the season.
This week, Lawrence will be tested again against a formidable Jaguars offensive line that is 5th in the league in pass-blocking efficiency (88.9) and has only conceded five sacks. This Jaguars offensive line has all the tools they need to bottle up Lawrence and could make it tough for him to keep up his hot start.
Amongst the interior of their offensive line, the Jaguars have All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff, a familiar foe from his time with the Washington Commanders. Since Week 1 against his former team, Scherff hasn’t conceded a single sack and could be tasked with keeping Lawrence in check on Sunday. If so, Lawrence will need to deliver a similar performance, if not better than last week, if he aims to keep his sack streak intact.
OTs Andrew Thomas and Evan Neal
Ever since allowing a season-high in pressures against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3 (27), the Giants offensive line has fared much better, particularly their offensive tackle tandem in Andrew Thomas and rookie Evan Neal.
Against the Cowboys in Week 3, Neal allowed five pressures, which included three sacks. Since then, he’s allowed as many pressures and only one sack throughout the last three games.
On the other hand, Thomas has been resilient following the Giants loss against Dallas and didn’t allow a single pressure until last Sunday (he conceded two). In addition, Thomas has also yet to allow a single sack on the season.
“I think our guys are playing great up front,” said quarterback Daniel Jones when asked how he feels the offensive line is doing so far. “We’ve played a lot of really good rushes, a lot of good players, a lot of good edge rushers, and done well. We’ve got a lot of confidence in our guys to handle them.”
When Jones said them, he was referring to the fearsome pass-rushing tandem both Thomas and Neal need to contain in Josh Allen and the first overall pick, rookie Travon Walker. Allen has 23 pressures and three sacks, while Walker has 12 and one sack on the season, each posing dangerous one-on-one matchups for the Giants two tackles.
“They’re really good,” said Jones. “Really talented and can affect the game. Can get to the passer and stop the run as well. Those are two really good players, and we’ll have a plan to handle them.”
RB Saquon Barkley
The Giants offense has looked solid this season, and a big reason why has been because of Barkley’s breakout start. In 119 attempts (most in the league), Barkley has rushed for 616 yards (second in the league), with four touchdowns and only one fumble to his name (which wasn’t lost).
Moreover, Barkley has provided Jones with a great set of hands out of the flat and has embraced his safety-outlet receiving role, leading the team in targets (26) and receptions (21) for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
That said, Barkley is facing one of the toughest run defenses he’s come across this season. To give you an idea, the Jaguars are third in rushing yards allowed per game (89.3) and third in rush yards per play (3.57). Besides the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, no other defense in the league is better at stopping the run than the Jaguars.
Following a dreadful performance against the Eagles in Week 4, where they allowed 210 rushing yards on the day, the Jaguars’ run defense has fared significantly better. In their loss to Houston in Week 5, they conceded 116 yards before delivering an even better performance against a Jonathan Taylor-less Colts offense last Sunday, where they gave up just 45 rushing yards and made Matt Ryan throw the ball 58 times.
That might have worked for the Colts but certainly won’t for Jones and company, who’ve been very dependent on Barkley’s impact on the ground and through the air. And against a hot Jaguars run defense coming off a close loss, Barkley will need to produce his best work if the Giants stand a chance to win on the road.
Giants Run Defense
The Giants’ defense has struggled considerably against the run this season. They are 28th in the league in rush yards allowed per game (144.8) and last in rush yards conceded per play (5.61).
Last week against the Ravens, this issue reared its head again as the Giants allowed a total of 211 rushing yards. That was part of the game plan, according to defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who revealed that they sacrificed a little against the run, in general, to stop Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson from running wild.
Still, Ravens running back Kenyan Drake had his way, rushing ten times for 119 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Lamar Jackson tacked on 77 yards himself, illustrating the Giants struggles with not only slowing down the run but also containing mobile quarterbacks that like to use their feet to pick up gains.
The Jaguars have an underrated running game and a young athletic quarterback who is quite effective with his feet. Possessing a strong dual threat with running backs James Robinson and Travis Etienne, the Jaguars are currently ninth in the league in rushing yards per game (136.7) and have six rushing touchdowns.
“Both guys run hard,” said safety Xavier McKinney when asked about the challenge both backs pose. “I got to play (Jacksonville running back Travis) Etienne as well, so I’ve seen him quite a few times.
"They’re playmakers, if you get those guys out in space, you can line them up as a receiver and just get the ball to them, and when they get downhill, they’re explosive, they’re able to make moves and make guys miss. That’s a good, dynamic group they have in the running back room. We got to be prepared to be able to stop that run.”
Giants Pass Rush
The Giants pass rush has looked solid. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has been red hot while rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux broke through for the first sack of his career last week against the Ravens, recording the Giants 13th sack of the season in the process.
However, the Giants pass rush is going up against one of the best pass-blocking units in the league this week (5th in pass-blocking efficiency), a group that has only conceded ten sacks in 221 dropbacks for quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
To add to it, Lawrence does move well on his feet. Though he’s by no means a Lamar Jackson, Lawrence can pick up good gains and is a threat in the red zone. Last week, this was put on full display against the Colts when the Jaguars quarterback rushed for two touchdowns on six carries for 23 yards.
The good news for the Giants is that their defensive line could be back to full strength this Sunday if edge rusher Azeez Ojulari (calf) is cleared to go.
That said, whether that comes to fruition or not, the Giants pass rush will have its work cut out for itself. And if they struggle to penetrate the Jaguars offensive line and make Lawrence uncomfortable with their pass rush, they could be in store for a long afternoon.
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