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Without Jabrill Peppers (IR) and Logan Ryan (COVID-19) on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants didn’t miss a beat. That was in large part due to Xavier McKinney.
The second-year safety recorded eight tackles (four solo), two passes defensed and one big interception in Week 12. He very nearly picked off a another pass with just seconds remaining as well.
It was the latest in a string of standout performances for McKinney, who missed much of his rookie season due to injury.
“He’s a guy that this year has continuously gotten better,” head coach Joe Judge said of McKinney after the game. “One thing we’ve really found with him is this guy can do a lot of things close to the line of scrimmage. He can cover man, he can play underneath as a robber, he does all those things very well. The one thing he really does exceptionally well is playing the deep part of the field. That’s where he’s made a lot of plays right now.
“He plays with very good vision, very good instincts. He’s very intelligent. He understands what he’s seen earlier in that game as well as on tape to kind of go ahead and calculate the formation along with the personnel and how they’re using it, what they’re going to get to. He plays with good discipline on the backend of the field. He’s made a lot of plays by sitting back there, letting the play develop and then he, obviously, has the skillset physically to make those breaks and finish with those catches.”
Running back Saquon Barkley’s summed McKinney up in about 150 fewer words than Judge.
“[He’s] a superstar who’s only going to get better throughout this league,” Barkley said point-blank.
Immediately following the game, we at Giants Wire called McKinney a “clutch” athlete. Perhaps somewhat fittingly, he acknowledged that’s precisely what he is trying to become.
“I’m trying to be a game changer for my team so we’re able to win games. So that’s been my biggest thing, just trusting what I see and going and getting it so that’s what I’ve been doing,” McKinney said. “Obviously I’ve still got a lot of things I’ve got to practice and work on, which I do every day, so I keep doing that and improving and helping us win.”
The Giants have a gem with McKinney. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about that. And the better news? He’s improving each and every time he steps onto the field.
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