The New York Giants may have found something special in wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins. Big Blue signed Hodgins off the Buffalo Bills practice squad during their bye week. Ever since Isaiah Hodgins has been a featured player in the Giants’ offense. For a team whose wide receiver corps has been decimated by injuries all season long, Isaiah Hodginshas made an immediate impact and a quick impression on the Giants. Entering a crucial, season-defining Week 15 matchup, Isaiah Hodgins could be the key to victory over the Washington Commanders.
Isaiah Hodgins could be the key to New York Giants victory in Week 15
Isaiah Hodgins was the perfect mid-season signing for the New York Giants. In desperate need of receiving help, Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll went with a familiar face from Buffalo in Hodgins. The 24-year-old was a sixth-round draft pick with the Buffalo Bills in 2021, while Schoen and Daboll served as the upstate New York’s assistant general manager and offensive coordinator, respectively. Brian Daboll’s familiarity with Isaiah Hodgins brought him to Big Blue, but Hodgins’s comfort with Daboll has led to his success.
Isaiah Hodgins appeared in two games for the Buffalo Bills this season, hauling in 4 receptions for 41 yards. The second-year receiver planned on growing in the Bills’ offense, but described his surprising move to the Giants as a “blessing in disguise.”
“There was always a part of me that wanted to play in Buffalo really badly, but it wasn’t as big a role as I have here. Playing in the same offensive system, and watching [receivers] Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, Emmanuel Sanders, John Brown and how they run routes, how they take care of their bodies, their knowledge of the game, I got to learn all that. I’ve been trying to bring some of the stuff I learned over there to here and apply it on game day.”
Isaiah Hodgins via The New York Post
The New York Giants are missing a slew of players from their offensive lineup. Sterling Shepard and Wan’Dale Robinson are both done for the year with injuries. Kenny Golladay has been phased out of the lineup completely. With so many key players missing, Isaiah Hodgins has been the one to step up for Big Blue. The key reason why Hodgins was able to make such an immediate impact was his comfort with Brian Daboll and familiarity with the head coach’s playbook.
“They told me when I first got here, ‘You know the playbook. Get ready to play right now,’ ” Hodgins said. “I’m ready.”
Isaiah Hodgins via The New York Post
Since joining the Giants, Isaiah Hodgins has played in 5 games, starting 3, and totaled 17 receptions on 21 targets for 183 yards and 2 touchdowns. Hodgins has dropped 0 passes so far and is quickly creating a strong bond with quarterback Daniel Jones. Hodgins and Jones are developing chemistry as Isaiah has been the Giants’ most reliable receiving threat, particularly in the red zone.
Isaiah Hodgins has caught two red zone touchdown passes this season. Entering the season, the Giants were hoping that Kenny Golladay would be the team’s big-body receiving threat in the red zone. Instead of wearing number 19, that threat is wearing 18, creating separation in the red zone and scoring touchdowns just weeks into his New York Giants career. Hodgins has been so impressive in such a short amount of time that he is seemingly playing his way into an extension with the team.
Sunday night’s matchup with the Washington Commanders could determine whether or not the Giants find themselves in the postseason. New York needs to find a way to win in Week 15. Daniel Jones is gearing up to play the game of his life and prove himself as a franchise quarterback on prime time. But the game does not rest solely on Jones’s shoulders. Isaiah Hodgins will be Daniel Jones’s top receiving threat in this crucial matchup. If Isaiah Hodgins can turn in a big performance on Sunday night, he could be the reason why the New York Giants earn the crucial victory.