The New York Giants are in need of a critical bounce-back performance from several of their key players in Week 2. Big Blue was embarrassed in their season opener at home against the Minnesota Vikings with several of their starters no-showing in the contest.
Among those receiving criticism for their lack of impact in Week 1 is third-year pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who was captured getting into a spat with a reporter following the game. Despite his frustration and his quiet Week 1 performance, Thibodeaux is due for a bounce-back performance in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders.
Giants: Kayvon Thibodeaux has had the Commanders’ number in his career thus far
Thibodeaux has played in four career games against the Commanders. He has a sack in each one of those games and has totaled a combined 26 tackles and 5.5 sacks in those contests. Arguably the best game of his career so far came against Washington in Week 15 of the 2022 season. In that game, Thibodeaux recorded one sack, three tackles for loss, and one forced fumble that he recovered and converted to a touchdown.
That performance against the Commanders in 2022 is the highlight of Thibodeaux’s career thus far and is the one game to point to that really highlights the kid’s star potential. Not only did he stuff the stat sheet, but he also made those big plays in crucial moments, including a goal-line, game-saving stop of Commanders QB Taylor Heinicke, preventing him from scoring a touchdown that would have given Washington a chance to win.
The Giants need another vintage Thibodeaux moment in Week 2. It’s only the second game of the season, yet, considering the temperament of the fans and the difficult schedule the G-Men have upcoming, this is feeling like a must-win game. Last time New York had a must-win game against Washington, Thibodeaux willed them to victory. Can he do it again?
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The Giants’ defensive line has a matchup they can expose in Week 2
Despite the Giants defensive line’s inefficiency in Week 1, there are reasons to believe the entire unit will bounce back this upcoming Sunday. The Commanders have a few decent offensive linemen in their starting five, but if there is anywhere on the front line that they are vulnerable, it is at right tackle.
The Commanders let up only nine pressures in Week 1, however, starting right tackle Andrew Wylie was responsible for surrendering three of those pressures. He posted a 50.6 Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, indicating he could be a vulnerability for the Giants to expose this weekend.
Fans of the Commanders have been calling for Wylie’s benching, asking the team to move starting left tackle Cornelius Lucas to the right side and paving the way for rookie Brandon Coleman to start on the left side. However, for the time being, Wylie is still the projected starter, and he could be a liability that Thibodeaux and fellow edge rusher Brian Burns plan to attack on Sunday.
The Giants’ defensive line is meant to be the foundation of the team this season. DT Dexter Lawrence lived up to the hype in Week 1, turning in another All-Pro-caliber performance against the Minnesota Vikings. However, Thibodeaux failed to record a single tackle and tallied only one pressure in the contest. Burns had four tackles and one pressure.
Thibodeaux and Burns need to turn on the heat in Week 2. If they can start to meet expectations, the Giants’ defense will give Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels some trouble, and potentially help get Big Blue’s season back on track.
