Giants’ DeAndre Baker provided reasons for optimism with strong finish

New York Giants rookie CB DeAndre Baker turned around a disastrous season and provided reasons for optimism with a strong finish.

When the New York Giants traded three picks to the Seattle Seahawks for the 30th overall selection in last year’s NFL Draft, fans hoped the kid they picked would be special.

DeAndre Baker, a cornerback from Georgia who did not allow a touchdown in final collegiate season, was the first cornerback to come off the board in the draft. The immediate reaction among the Giant fans was “he better be worth it.”

For the first half of the season, it appeared as if the Giants made a major miscalculation with Baker. He looked confused and played with the trepidation of a kid who was in over his head.

Baker was lining up a good 10 yards off the line of scrimmage and getting schooled by offensive coordinators who smelled blood in the water. He allowed 38 completions on 54 targets in the Giants’ first 10 games (70.4%) and quarterbacks were feasting on Baker with a QB rating of 131.9.

The consensus was that Baker was simply not ready for the NFL. Many felt defensive coordinator James Bettcher was not utilizing Baker properly. He was a press corner in college and Bettcher had him lining up on Paterson Plank Road.

After the Giants’ bye in Week 11, Baker began to resemble a first round pick. He played with more confidence and it showed in the results. Quarterbacks didn’t pick on him as much, and when they did, he held his own.

The completion rate dropped to 48.5% (16 of 33) and the QB rating fell to 94.0 which is much more respectable and in line with some of the top corners in football.

From Giants Maven:

If he were able to maintain his post-bye production throughout the entire season, the 22-year-old would have finished the year with a better completion percentage allowed than 2019 First-Team All-Pro selections Tre’Davious White (50.0), Stephon Gilmore (50.0) and Marcus Peters (55.6).

It’s a small sample size to work with and—outside of his lockdown performance against the Green Bay Packers—the competition he faced wasn’t exactly the best the league has to offer.

As Baker continues to improve, Giant fans will hopefully forget what the team gave up to get him. Whoever the new defensive coordinator is will also hopefully realize that Baker is a cover corner who should not be thrust into zone responsibilities.

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Giants injury report: Mike Remmers, Corey Ballentine not practicing

New York Giants RT Mike Remmers and rookie CB Corey Ballentine were not practicing on Thursday.

The New York Giants returned to East Rutherford on Thursday after a short holiday break, and got right back to practice as they prepare for a season-ending showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The team released a projected injury report on Wednesday that did not reflect well, listing four players as “did not participate” and another four as “limited participant.”

Things were a bit more encouraging on Thursday as only two players — right tackle Mike Remmers (concussion) and cornerback Corey Ballentine (back) — were not participating during the portion of practice open to the media.

Linebackers Alec Ogletree (back) and Lorenzo Carter (knee) were warming up, but may turn out to be limited. Additionally, rookie cornerback DeAndre Backer (knee) and tight end Scott Simonson (concussion) were added to the injury report.

The official injury report with designations released by the Giants can be found below:

Did not participate: RT Mike Remmers (concussion), CB Corey Ballentine (back)

Limited participant: CB DeAndre Baker (knee), CB Sam Beal (shoulder), LB Lorenzo Carter (knee), TE Rhett Ellison (concussion), OL Nick Gates (shoulder), LB Alec Ogletree (back), TE Scott Simonson (concussion), WR Darius Slayton (knee)

Full participant: N/A

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Giants lost several players to injury in Week 16 victory over Redskins

The New York Giants lost several key players to injury during a Week 16 overtime victory over the Washington Redskins.

The New York Giants sustained a few injuries in their exciting 41-35 victory over the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field on Sunday.

Right tackle Mike Remmers sustained a concussion in the first half and did not return. He was replaced by Nick Gates.

Inside linebacker Alec Ogletree exited the game on the first defensive series with a back injury and also did not return.

Wide receiver Darius Slayton left the game with a knee injury in the first half but returned in the fourth quarter. He did not have a catch in the game.

Several other players were temporarily knocked out of the game but returned. Cornerback DeAndre Baker left the game with a knee. Cornerback Sam Beal was diagnosed with a neck injury.

Giants head coach Pat Shurmur did not elaborate on any of the injuries during his post-game press conference, but will likely provide additional detail during his Monday afternoon conference call.

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Giants beat Redskins: Winners, losers and those in between

The New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins in Week 16, so here’s a look at the winners, losers and all those in between.

The New York Giants and Washington Redskins squared off in “The Chase Young Bowl” on Sunday and for two teams that would have benefited by losing, they certainly gave an A+ effort for the win.

The game itself was back-and-forth from the start, featuring many big plays, bad calls and bizarre circumstances — befitting of two 3-11 teams.

In the end, the Giants walked away victorious with a 41-35 overtime victory.

Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Winners

Saquon Barkley: If you had any doubt that Barkley was truly back, he squashed those concerns in Week 16. In an all-time performance, Barkley dominated in all aspects, gaining 189 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown while adding 90 yards and one touchdown on four receptions.

Daniel Jones: In his first game back since suffering a high ankle sprain, Jones was extremely effective and really showed the football world what he’s capable of doing in this league. Yes, he had another fumble (not lost), but he also had five touchdown passes, tying Deshaun Watson and Fran Tarkenton for the most four-plus-touchdown performances (3) in the debut season of any player in NFL history.

Julian Love: How can you watch Love and not love (not pun intended) how he plays the game? He’s fast, shifty, not afraid of contact and gives it his all on every play. Was it flawless on Sunday? No, but his positive plays far outweigh his negative plays. This kid has a bright future.

Lorenzo Carter: Carter has had a down year for the Giants and really needed to flash at some point over the final two weeks. He did on Sunday. He was all over the field and especially strong rushing the passer, recording 1.5 sacks on the day.

Defensive line: The Giants have been horrible on defense this season, but I maintain the defensive line has played exceptionally well and even more so since the arrival of Leonard Williams. He, Dalvin Tomlinson, B.J. Hill and Dexter Lawrence all shined again on Sunday, creating pressure and shutting down any runs between the hash marks.

Offensive line: There was an expected drop off without Manning under center, but that was not the case for the O-line in Week 16. Even with Nick Gates replacing Mike Remmers (concussion), the unit payed collective well, giving Daniel Jones time and opening up enough holes for Barkley to have a field day.

Others: Da’Mari Scott, David Mayo, Kaden Smith, Cody Core

Giants defeat Redskins, but likely lose Chase Young in the process

The New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins in overtime in Week 16, but likely missed out on drafting Chase Young in the process.

The New York Giants and Washington Redskins squared off in a Week 16 game they both needed to lose in order to have a shot at edge rusher Chase Young in the 2020 NFL Draft, so naturally, both teams came out on fire.

Rookie quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Dwayne Haskins were nearly flawless out of the gate, lighting up the opposing defense in an early tit-for-tat that was unusually exciting for two bottom dwellers.

The Giants struck first, scoring on their opening series of the game when Jones hit wide receiver Sterling Shepard from 23 yards out. They then went on to score on their next two series — a 67-yard rushing touchdown by Saquon Barkley and a 33-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Barkley — before finally being forced to punt late in the second quarter.

Then, just prior to halftime, the Giants scored again, this time on a 10-yard touchdown from Jones to wide receiver Cody Latimer.

But Haskins and the Redskins certainly weren’t shut out. Like the Giants, they scored on their opening series of the game when Haskins hit wide receiver Steven Sims Jr. from 10 yards out.

The Redskins also scored on their second series of the game — a six-yard pass from Haskins to tight end Hale Hentges — but that would be all she wrote in the first half.

Washington couldn’t get anything else going on their final three offensive drives and went into halftime trailing the Giants, 28-14.

Thing noticeably slowed down in the third quarter as Haskins and offensive tackle Morgan Moses went down with what appeared to be serious injuries for the Redskins. However, after the two teams exchanged punts and Case Keenum came on to replace Haskins, the brief stalemate was broken.

Keenum connected with Sims Jr. on a seven-yard pass with 6:38 remaining in the quarter to pull Washington within one score, but Jones, who had arguably his best performance of the season, quickly got those points back with a nine-yard pass to tight end Kaden Smith.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Giants led 35-21.

The Redskins refused to fade however, blocking a Riley Dixon punt to open the fourth quarter and immediately capitalized on it, benefiting from a DeAndre Baker pass interference penalty and riding Adrian Peterson in from one-yard out.

After a missed Aldrick Rosas field goal and and a series of exchanged punts, the Redskins were watching time slowly tick away and their chances at Chase Young improve. It was a precarious position for both teams, but they were clearly playing to win.

Despite being pinned at the one-yard line with 6:41 remaining, Keenum turned things up a notch and seemingly willed the Redskins back into the game, driving them all the way to the opposing three-yard line and a fourth-and-goal with just seconds remaining.

Although the final pass fell incomplete, rookie cornerback Corey Ballentine was called for pass interference, giving the Redskins new life and putting the ball at the one-yard line with :37 remaining.

Keenum, who had been a magician on the drive, fumbled at the goal line, but it was recovered by a Redskins teammate. After a review, the ruling of a touchdown was upheld. And with the score sitting at 35-34, Washington gave thought to going for a two-point conversation, but instead opted for a PAT and a tie with :29 remaining.

The Giants positioned themselves for a 61-yard field goal or hail mary with one two ticks on the clock remaining, ultimately deciding for the latter. The Jones chuck-and-duck fell short, sending a wild game into overtime.

After winning the toss, Jones & Co. wasted little time driving the ball back down the field and putting themselves into scoring position within the blink of an eye. And rather than settling for a field goal and hoping for the best, they punched it in — a three-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Smith — and walked away victorious, 41-35.

With the win, the Giants improve to 4-11 on the season and potentially put themselves out of range to select Chase Young in the 2020 NFL Draft. They will close out their season at home against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17.

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Once considered a bust, Giants CB Deandre Baker turning it on

Former Georgia football CB Deandre Baker was once seen as a bust, but is now turning it on for the New York Giants.

Deandre Baker is one of the best defensive backs in the history of Georgia football. He simply locked down every wide receiver that he ever faced off against in college.

The New York Giants used a first round pick on Baker, hoping his lockdown skills would translate to the NFL.

For the first half of the NFL season, it was not looking good for Baker or the Giants. He was getting beat regularly, giving up a ton of room to receivers to make easy catches and was being targeted by opposing quarterbacks.

But that was then.

Now, Baker has been playing like one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.

Good for Baker, a former Jim Thorpe Award winner who is now playing like we knew he could.

Being a first round draft pick yields a lot of pressure, and one guy who knows a lot about that pressure is Giants running back Saquon Barkley.

Barkley talked with the New York Post about Baker and his rookie season.

“When you come in as a first-rounder, everyone sets expectations for you and there are expectations that you set for yourself and the kind of player you want to be,’’ Barkley told The Post on Friday. “Bake comes in every single day and works to get better and better. Obviously, he probably didn’t start the season how he would like to start his career. But these last couple weeks, he’s been playing lights out. He was a big reason why we got our first win in a while last week.’’

5 reasons Giants could upset Redskins in Week 16

The New York Giants and Washington Redskins square off in Week 16, and here are five reasons Big Blue could come away with the win.

The New York Giants are coming off their first victory since September 29th in a 36-20 win over the Miami Dolphins.

This was also a sentimental victory as it was likely Eli Manning’s final home start of his career or at least in a Giants jersey. Manning was solid, going 20-of-28 for 283 yards and two touchdowns, but also three interceptions. Regardless, the Giants racked up their most points in a game since Week 15 of last year and had their most balanced attack of the season with Saquon Barkley rushing for 105 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

With the likely return of rookie Daniel Jones under center, Manning will go back to the bench. While one might think a Week 16 matchup between two three-win teams would be meaningless, this game will likely decide who receives the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, where Ohio State defensive end Chase Young is expected to be taken.

To be frank, the loser of this game could truly be winners in the long run if they are in line to draft an impact player such as Young.

Regardless, let’s look at five reasons the Giants could come out on top versus the Redskins (hopefully not so they get Young).

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Dwayne Haskins

The Giants defense had their best performance of the season in their last matchup with the Redskins, holding them to only three points back in Week 4. Haskins was unfairly thrown into the fire in the second half of the game and struggled throwing three interceptions including a pick-six to Jabrill Peppers.

Despite having his best game of his career last week against the Eagles (19-of-28 for 261 yards and two touchdowns), Haskins has struggled mightily in his rookie season throwing for only 1,232 yards with a 56.9 completion percentage, five touchdowns and seven interceptions. The rookie also has a 2.7 touchdown% with a 3.7% interception rate.

Haskins had a chip on his shoulder after the Giants passed him up with the sixth pick when they selected Daniel Jones over him. If you look at the numbers and watch the two signal callers performances this season, it is like night and day how much more prepared Jones (18 TD 11 INT 2,784 yards 62 completion percentage) was than Haskins.

Giants Coordinator Corner: Coaches focused on rookie improvements

The New York Giants coordinators are focused on rookie improvements entering Week 16 of the regular season.

It’s been a long season for the New York Giants, but things are winding down. Not much has been accomplished thus far — just three wins in the first 14 games — but the players keep going and the coaches keep working.

This week, the Giants will travel down to Washington to face the Redskins, another 3-11 team seeking a path back to respectability. The game has some meaning to it. The winner gets to stay out of the NFC East basement while the winner betters their lot in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Giants’ three coordinators briefed the media on their respective units as the next to last regular season game approaches.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive coordinator Mike Shula

Rookie wide receiver Darius Slayton (44 receptions, 690 yards and three touchdowns) was considered a player who could “stretch the field’ out of college but the fifth-round draft pick out of Auburn has shown he is much more than that.

Shula was asked about Slayton’s route running and how surprised the Giants are at how advanced he is.

“I think Tyke (Tolbert) has done a great job with him. I think we probably didn’t give him enough credit as a route-runner coming out of college,” Shula said. “I know those guys are well-coached down there at Auburn. They have a little bit different offense than we do, but they still run a lot of the same routes. We saw a lot of big plays, just like everybody did, when he was coming out in the draft. But he’s really good at really running all of the routes for a young guy. For example, one of the easiest things, you would think it’s easy, but a lot of the time, especially for young guys, just getting the proper depth.

“He’s probably as good as any rookie as I’ve ever seen, as little as that is, at just getting depth because as we know, the timing is so important. If you’re short, the quarterback is going to be late with the ball. He’s done a good job with that.”

What we learned from Giants’ 36-20 victory over Dolphins

The New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins, 36-20, in Week 15 and here’s some of what we learned from that win.

It finally happened. The New York Giants got their third win of the season. It came at home against the equally struggling Miami Dolphins, but it came.

So many things happened in New York this week — before, during and after the game. Here’s what we learned from the Giants’ 36-20 victory over the Dolphins:

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Eli Manning is loved

For the last 16 years, Eli Manning has taken the blame for everything that has gone wrong in New York. Never mind his Super Bowl wins or his ability to mount a comeback, if there was a problem with the Giants, it was Eli’s fault.

On Sunday, all of his hard work and putting up with the garbage thrown at him, Eli learned that he is loved by Giants fans. The crowd sent him off the field with an amazing and incredibly loud ovation, and there were three hours of chanting his name.

Even Dolphins head coach Brian Flores burned a timeout just so Eli could enjoy his moment. Talk about class.

Giants drop Dolphins: Winners, losers and those in between

The New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins in what may be Eli Manning’s final game. Here’s a look at the winners and losers.

In what may be Eli Manning’s final start as a member of the New York Giants, the team came up big and managed to get him a victory — Manning’s first win in over a calendar year and the team’s first win since Week 4.

It was ugly early on, but then the Giants began to roll and never looked back. There were some issues here and there, but all things considered, it was the team’s most well-rounded game all season.

Here’s a quick look at the winners and losers from Week 14:

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Winners

David Mayo: On a team — and specifically a defense — that does very little right, Mayo has been a pleasant and unexpected surprise. Yes, he’s been up-and-down at times and even had a few hiccups on Sunday, but overall he’s a very sound player who steps up and makes big plays at crucial times. It’s a shame his teammates actually drag down his play.

Saquon Barkley: Finally. Finally. Finally. Barkley had not had a 100-yard game since Week 2 and had not reached the endzone since Week 7. Both of those streaks ended with what was arguably Barkley’s best performance of the season. He finished the day with 112 yards on 24 carries, 31 yards on four receptions and two touchdowns.

Darius Slayton: Slayton didn’t put up huge numbers, but he came up big in a few big plays in key spots. He finished the game with two receptions for 31 yards and his eighth touchdown of the season.

Riley Dixon: Worth. Every. Penny.

Others: Dalvin Tomlinson, Leonard Williams, Michael Thomas