Five Giants Players To Watch in Week 14
The New York Giants 20-20 tie against the Washington Commanders last week didn’t help their playoff push, but it also didn't hurt it either. Still, a win is better than a tie, especially with the bottom of the NFC playoff race as tight as it's ever been. And it was a divisional game that the Giants would have been better off winning.
This weekend, the Giants host the Philadelphia Eagles, owners of an NFL-best 11-1 record. Following their only loss of the season in Week 10 against the Commanders, the Eagles won the next three games, scoring 35+ points in each of their last two wins alone.
It's a tough test for the Giants, who are projected to host the Eagles in a wintery mix weather-wise. But if they can keep it close or even pull off the upset, it will certainly go a long way toward helping the team build up some momentum to use down the stretch, including a huge divisional matchup against the Commanders in two weeks that the Giants must win.
Here is our weekly look at five players/units to pay close attention to.
Azeez Ojulari & Kayvon Thibodeaux
Seeing the Giants' two starting edge rushers wreak havoc against a feeble Commanders offensive line last Sunday was a breath of fresh air. And though defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II has continued to provide a steady presence for the Giants' pass rush, the edge rushers really made an impact and asserted their authority early and often.
Azeez Ojulari missed seven games due to a nagging calf injury, but he didn’t show any sort of rust, fatigue, or lack of sharpness in his game and delivered an influential performance. In his return against the Commanders, Ojulari had a strip sack (which he recovered), seven pressures, and one tackle.
Conversely, Kayvon Thibodeaux has been a force over his last two games. After a big-time game against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, where he had nine pressures (which included five hits), Thibodeaux had another dynamic performance against the Commanders, securing a sack, four pressures, and five combined tackles.
That said, this Eagles offensive line is one of the best in the league, particularly with their pass protection. In 12 games played, the Eagles offensive line is third in pass-blocking efficiency (89.6), second in sacks allowed (eight), and tied in first with the Ravens for hits allowed (six).
Despite Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata leading all Eagles offensive linemen in both sacks allowed (5) and pressures (23), All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson is fifth in the league in pass-blocking efficiency (99.1) and has yet to allow a sack on the season.
Daniel Jones
Since quarterback Daniel Jones committed his two interceptions against the Detroit Lions in Week 11, he’s fared much better. That came to life against the Commanders last Sunday.
Following Jones's costly fumble early in the first quarter that led to a Commanders field goal, he bounced back well, completing 80 percent of his 31 pass attempts for 200 yards and a touchdown on the day. Jones also ran with the ball 12 times for an additional 71 yards.
This week, however, Jones faces one of his toughest tests. Philadelphia has the number one pass defense in the league and a stingy group of defensive backs among the best at forcing interceptions. The Eagles are first in fewest passing yards allowed (178.5), fewest yards allowed per play (5.32), and interception rate (3.72%), and are seventh in points allowed per game (18.8).
The Eagles will be without their ball-hawking corner C.J. Gardner-Johnson, tied with Seahawks defensive back Tariq Woolen for most interceptions (6). The Eagles still have elite playmakers on defense, such as Darius Slay and former Giants cornerback James Bradberry, who have three interceptions each this season.
The greatest question Jones will have to confront is how much throwing he will be doing against the Eagles this week. The Eagles are second in sacks per pass attempt (10.42 percent) and have five players with five or more sacks. Considering the Giants still have their fair share of injury setbacks on their offensive line, Jones and the offense will need to be flawless.
Interior Offensive Line
The Giants offensive line has had its ups and downs, the greatest concern falling on the interior offensive line.
Right guard Mark Glowinski leads the team in pressures allowed (27) and sacks (5), while rookie left guard Joshua Ezeudu is fourth on the team in pressures (15) and has allowed three sacks in 153 pass-blocking snaps.
It hasn’t helped that both starting guards Shane Lemieux (toe) and Ben Bredeson (knee) have had injuries that have kept them out for long stretches at a time. Bredeson, currently on IR, has missed the Giants' last five games, while Lemieux has only played in one game all season after returning from IR.
The Giants will face an Eagles defensive line that is not only elite off the edge but also happens to have two of the best defensive tackles in the league. Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave can cause problems up the middle against the pass and run.
Hargrave is fourth in the league in pressures amongst all defensive linemen (43), is second on the team in sacks (8), and fourth on the team in stops (23), while Cox, the All-Pro defensive tackle, has 25 pressures, five sacks, and 15 stops. And don't forget about rookie Jordan Davis, who, despite a quiet season, was built to stop runs and clog up the middle, which he has done so far.
WR Darius Slayton
Because the Eagles have the best pass defense in the league, it’s difficult to envision the Giants leaning on Jones to throw the ball often on Sunday. That said, executing a balanced game plan is vital for the Giants success. And if the Giants look for the deep ball, they'll likely look in Darius Slayton's direction.
Slayton (93.2) is just behind Isaiah Hodgins (93.6) for the best NFL reception rating among the Giants receivers. Over his last three games, Slayton has been targeted at least six times and has reeled in over 60 receiving yards in each of those three games. The only concern with Slayton is drops, as he leads the team with five.
This Sunday, Slayton will line up across either Darius Slay or James Bradberry, two of the best cornerbacks in the league.
Seeing that Slayton is a favorite target, he will be expected to step up and produce against the lines of Darius Slay and James Bradberry, which includes getting open just enough and holding on to the ball.
Inside Linebackers
After originally starting linebackers Tae Crowder and Austin Calitro, the Giants switched to Jalyon Smith and rookie Micah McFadden to help stop the bleeding against the run while shoring up the pass a bit more.
But even with the change, the Giants' interior linebackers have had their issues with stepping up and filling holes against the run. Both linebackers have combined for 22 stops against the run.
Stopping the run is key, but so is coverage, particularly against running backs and tight ends. Though both linebackers are by no means targeted often, Smith and McFadden have the highest reception percentages on the team (with each tied at 88.9 percent) and have conceded 348 yards.
This doesn’t bode very well for this tandem against Jalen Hurts, one of the rising quarterbacks who can hurt a team with his arm and legs. Hurts is third in the league in rushing yards by quarterbacks (609) behind only Chicago's Justin Fields and Baltimore's Lamar Jackson. The Giants' defense as a whole, and in particular the inside linebackers, must play a disciplined game Sunday.
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