The New York Giants may lead the NFL sacks this season but all eyes will be on Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro pass rusher T.J. Watt this Monday night.
Watt, the younger brother of NFL great J.J. Watt, has led the league in sacks in three of the past four seasons and is the co-holder of the NFL single-season record (22.5 in 2021) with Giants Hall of Famer Michael Strahan.
The Giants’ current plan at left tackle is pretty much the same as last week, with Joshua Ezeudu lining up there. Watt is primarily positioned on the other side of the line, though, which would mean right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor will be tacked with keeping Watt off of Daniel Jones this week.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll fumbled Watt’s name when he was asked what the plan was to defend against him this week.
“Yeah, I mean, we could stay here for a long time talking about J.T. Watt. I’d say he’s unbelievable”, Daboll said. “T.J., you got me all flustered with the guy.
“You watch his tape and all the turnovers that he has and the style that he plays with. I mean, he’s one of the best players in the league. He creates issues in the run game. He creates issues in the pass game. He bats balls down. He jumps up and intercepts balls that you’d never think you could be intercepted. He’s got hustle, chase. He’s a dynamic football player. He’s one of the better defensive players in the league. He’s a problem.”
Giants guard Jon Runyan spoke about how Watt’s presence can upset an offense.
“T.J. mainly plays over the right tackle, but they have shown to move him as one of those floaters in the middle of the defense. He can pick and choose whatever gap or whatever guy he wants to play against. So, that’s something that you always have to be ready for,” he said.
“Jermaine has played against him a couple of times and I know he’s really confident going against him and it’s going to be a great battle between two great players and I’m excited to watch it.”
The player that will be in Watt’s crosshairs, quarterback Daniel Jones, knows he has to practically become a different player ignorer to combat the heat Watt and his teammates are planning to bring.
“Obviously, he’s a good player and I’ll be aware of where he is,” said Jones. “As a quarterback, I think my job is to feel the pocket, move in the pocket, and get the ball out on time. I can’t afford to look at the rush, look at him, or anything like that. So, trust the game plan, trust the scheme, trust the way it’s set up and then do my job, execute, and get the ball out on time.”
The Giants allowed the Eagles to sack their quarterbacks eight times last week. They are in for a much larger battle this week. We’ll find out soon if and how they can handle it.
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