The New York Giants have won their last two games against Washington and Philadelphia, climbing to 3-7 and are just .5 games out of first place in the NFC East.
While just a few weeks ago, the Giants were in last place in the worst division in football, they’re trending up and representing one of the better probabilities of walking away with a playoff spot and the first place position in the east.
With quarterback Daniel Jones taking a big step forward and protecting the football, the Giants haven’t turned the ball over in two games. This has been a major factor in their recent wins, as the offense is taking significant leaps and the defense is finally closing out games in the fourth quarter. With all cylinders firing, the Giants have some solid momentum to continue building, and they are about to receive more reinforcements on defense.
New York Giants getting reinforcements as they make playoff push:
Xavier McKinney:
[wpdiscuz-feedback id=”cuuz07w0it” question=”Do you think McKinney will make a MAJOR difference on defense? ” opened=”0″]Second-round pick Xavier McKinney was placed on injured reserve after fracturing his foot during training camp. He was the highest-rated safety on the board and fell right to the Giants who desperately needed to upgrade the position.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]McKinney was expected to be the starting free safety, fitting perfectly in Patrick Graham’s scheme. He is best suited in cover 1 defense, with his fantastic game speed and ability to create turnovers.
With Alabama in 2019, McKinney racked up 95 tackles, three interceptions, and four forced fumbles. He also tallied 3.0 sacks, 5.5 tackles for a loss, closely resembling current safety Logan Ryan for the Giants.
He is a jack of all trades, and the Giants are hoping he can provide some stability at free safety and rotate with Julian Love, as soon as next week against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Oshane Ximines:
Ximines is one of the young promising pass rushers for the Giants, a position that is weak. They previously traded Markus Golden to the Arizona Cardinals for a sixth-round pick, and third-year OLB Lorenzo Carter tore his Achilles earlier this season against the Dallas Cowboys.
In his rookie campaign, Ximines played in all 16 games, tallying 25 combined tackles, 4.5 sacks, and nine quarterback hits. He had his best game against the Philadelphia Eagles in week 13 last year, recording 2.0 sacks and two tackles for a loss.
Oshane has spent a majority of the season on injured reserve with a shoulder issue, so his return will be extremely welcomed by a team that needs more support at OLB.