Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!
Sometimes stats don’t necessarily tell the whole story, and for three rookies on the defensive side of the ball for the New York Giants, that’s what occurred on Sunday afternoon.
Rookie interior defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence finished the contest with just one tackle, one assist, and one sack, but his influence was far more essential than those minimal numbers. He also recorded five quarterback hurries and pushed the pile consistently against a solid Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line. He played a massive part in getting to quarterback Jameis Winston and drew double teams frequently opening up the game for the Giants pass rushers.
Another rookie that shined was linebacker Ryan Connelly, who tallied two tackles, five assists, and one interception. His statistical output was indicative of his productivity against the Bucs, but it was his 3rd-and-2 stop in the fourth quarter that showed his impact.
.@Giants INTERCEPTION! Ryan Connelly picks off Winston. #GiantsPride #NYGvsTB
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Watch FREE on mobile: https://t.co/qnNxI5gZ8j pic.twitter.com/XEHGyaP4hO— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2019
With the Bucs on the Giants’ five-yard line, they were dangerously close to pulling two scores ahead, but Connelly wasn’t going to let that happen as he stopped running back Peyton Barber short of the first-down marker. This forced Tampa to settle for a field goal and gave the Giants the perfect opportunity to score in the waning moments. Defensive stops like that helped Big Blue secure their first win of the season.
The third accolade goes to cornerback DeAndre Baker, who’s name was quiet all day against Chris Godwin, Tampa’s No. 2 wideout. Baker was stellar in the victory, while veteran Janoris Jenkins was picked on continually facing off against Mike Evans.
After two challenging weeks for Baker, he finally showed why he was a first-round pick and had much more success in press-coverage than off-ball. Hopefully, he can continue that trend of quality next week against the Washington Redskins.
Baker recorded a solid seven total tackles with four solo. His showing was the best of the season for the struggling corner, but this is a great sign of improvement and rhythm.
Nonetheless–
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