The New York Giants are coming off of another loss, their 7th in a row. Last week the Giants lost to the Chicago Bears on the road. However, the Giants’ defense had some bright spots in the loss.
Week 12 was rookie free safety Julian Love’s first expanded game action. He did not disappoint coming away with his first career interception. But one young defensive back’s performance was even more encouraging.
Rookie cornerback DeAndre Baker has struggled all season horrifically. His performance against the Bears, however, bucked the trend of poor play.
DeAndre Baker’s Week 12 Performance
Before the Giants’ Week 12 matchup with the Bears, DeAndre Baker was the lowest graded cornerback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. The rookie first-rounder has struggled throughout the season. Baker has the 5th-most yards allowed in his coverage amongst all cornerbacks in the NFL with 629 yards.
Interestingly enough, however, DeAndre Baker did not give up a single yard in coverage in Week 12. The Bears targeted Baker in coverage only twice, but he did not allow a catch. DeAndre played 75% of the team’s defensive snaps. This slightly more limited role seemed to helped Baker settle into his game a bit. Baker shared snaps with Sam Beal.
The Giants’ loss to the Bears was undoubtedly DeAndre Baker’s best performance of the season so far. Sure, it has taken a long time for Baker to have a good game, but at least he has shown some improvement and finally put together a solid outing. Pro Football Focus gave DeAndre Baker an 83.5 overall grade for the game in Chicago.
The Giants’ secondary will have their hands full this week. They will be defending Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense. Rodgers struggled lately but always has the potential to scorch a young and struggling secondary for a big game. DeAndre Baker needs to build on his strong Week 12 performance and continue to develop with another well-played game against the Packers in Week 13.