There have been very few good things to mention regarding the New York Giants’ offensive line this season, but backup OT Tyre Phillips has been an intriguing piece that could provide a positive impact in the future.
Tyre Phillips shined in pass protection in the Giants’ win over Washington
In the Giants’ Week 11 victory over the Washington Commanders, Phillips recorded a pass-blocking grade of 80.7 on Pro Football Focus (PFF). This was only the third instance of a Giants’ offensive lineman honing a pass protection grade this high in the 2023 season (Andrew Thomas had the other two instances).
Tommy DeVito was still sacked eight times in the win, so while Phillips was able to do his part, the rest of the line has to help contribute in order to give their quarterback an ample amount of time to throw the ball.
Nevertheless, DeVito still turned in a phenomenal performance on Sunday, going 18/26 with 246 passing yards and three passing touchdowns.
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Phillips still has work to do in run-blocking
Phillips showed plenty of promise in pass protection but notably struggled to protect the run game on Sunday against Washington. According to PFF, his downgrade on roughly a third of the Giants’ run plays ranked as the third-worst rate among all offensive tackles that played in Week 11.
The Giants ran for just 91 yards compared to the Commanders’ 174 on Sunday, and while running back Saquon Barkley averaged 5.9 yards per carry, a large chunk of his 83 total rushing yards came on one 31-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Considering that the Giants have essentially been relying on Barkley to generate offense since quarterback Daniel Jones went down with a torn ACL, they are going to need Phillips to provide better protection on run plays to help get them downfield.
Ideally, as he gains more experience through playing at the position, he can grow his game and improve as a run-blocker.
Phillips will have the opportunity to build off of this impressive overall performance when he and the Giants take on the New England Patriots this upcoming Sunday.
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