Tag: Leonard Williams

Giants vs. Seahawks Player of the Game: Leonard Williams

The New York Giants defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13 and DL Leonard Williams earns our Player of the Game.

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The New York Giants stormed into Washington on Sunday afternoon and beat the brakes off the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks.

The final score of 17-12 does not accurately represent just how physically dominating the Giants were in Week 13, especially on the defensive side of the ball where they completely manhandled Russell Wilson and the high-powered Hawks.

Up and down, side-to-side, the Giants defense played like a team of All-Pros. James Bradberry, Logan Ryan, Jabrill Peppers, Blake Martinez, Carter Coughlin, Cam Brown, Niko Lalos and so many more deserve a tip of the cap.

In the end, however, it’s veteran defensive lineman Leonard Williams who shined the brightest for the second week in a row.

Williams finished the game with three tackles (two for a loss), five QB hits, and 2.5 sacks.

“That’s a man, man. That dude is a man,” head coach Joe Judge said after the game.

Williams didn’t just dominate the game, he dominated in the biggest and most important spots. On a third-and-10 with under 1:00 remaining in the fourth quarter, Williams split a double-team block on a stunt to the inside and brought quarterback Russell Wilson down.

Yes, Seattle still had a play to run, but the game ended with that sack.

Remember when general manager Dave Gettleman caught heat for acquiring Williams from the Jets? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

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Giants upset Seahawks: Winners, losers and those in between

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the New York Giants’ Week 13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. 

Upset alert! The New York Giants pulled off an incomparable upset on the road over the Seattle Seahawks to improve to 5-7 and squeeze a tighter hold on their division.

What’s even more impressive? They were without quarterback Daniel Jones (hamstring), which meant veteran Colt McCoy got the start and won his first game since October 27th, 2014.

After being shutout in the first half, the running game came alive and Patrick Graham’s defense pitched a near perfect performance yet again as the Giants became the first team in the NFC East to beat an opponent with a winning record this year.

With today’s win, the Giants have now won four games in a row for the first time since 2016.

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the Giants Week 13 upset over the Seahawks.

Giants defeat Seahawks, 17-12: Instant analysis

Instant analysis of the New York Giants’ 17-12 Week 13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.

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The New York Giants headed into their Week 13 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks 10.5-point underdogs and given very little chance after it was announced that Daniel Jones (hamstring) would be inactive.

That put veteran backup Colt McCoy under center as a starter for just the eighth time since 2012, and the Giants’ defense on the spot. McCoy did what he could and the defense absolutely balled out. The special teams, unfortunately, let the Giants down again in what suddenly became a very winnable game, as most Giants games have been this season.

This one was more than winnable. The Giants looked like a first-place team as they stepped up and bit the NFC West leaders on the road with a 17-12 victory, their fourth in a row. The win ensures they will remain in first place in the NFC East for at least one more week as Philadelphia lost to Green Bay and Washington, who plays Pittsburgh on Monday, cannot pass them with a win.

One thing was never in jeopardy and that was the point spread. The Seahawks never had more than a five-point lead in the game. That is when they did have the lead.

The Seahawks opened the game with a nine-play drive that stalled inside the 20 after back-to-back defended passes by cornerback Isaac Yiadom and safety Jabrill Peppers. Seattle took an early 3-0 lead on a 31-yard field goal by Jason Myers.  The Giants responded with an unimpressive three-and-out then rookie linebacker Tae Crowder sacked Russell Wilson on third down to force a punt.

The Giants’ offense picked up the pace on their second possession driving down to the Seattle 16 on 11 plays but ended abruptly when McCoy’s pass to tight end Evan Engram slipped through Engram’s fingers as he was hit and into the hands of Seahawks cornerback Quandre Diggs, who returned it 32 yards to the Seattle 36.

After two teams traded punts, Giants rookie defensive end Niko Lalos recovered a Wilson fumble on third down on the Giants’ 48 with a little over six minutes remaining in the first half. The Giants could do nothing, went three and out and punted again.

Seattle scored before the half when Riley Dixon had a punt blocked in the end zone for a safety to give the Seahawks a 5-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, the Giants finally found their legs on offense so to speak. On their second possession in the third quarter, they drove 80 yards on four plays, buoyed by Wayne Gallman’s 60-yard scamper down the right sideline. to the Seahawks’ 17. Two plays later Alfred Morris scored his first NFL touchdown since 2018 to give the Giants a 6-5 lead. McCoy then lobbed a pass to Sterling Shepard for the two-point conversion and an 8-5 lead for Big Blue.

After the Giants stopped Wilson and the Seahawks on fourth down near midfield, the running game got rolling again. This time Gallman and Morris led the Giants on another scoring drive ending with McCoy hitting Morris for a six-yard touchdown to give the Giants a 14-5 lead. Graham Gano missed the PAT, his first miss of the season.

With 11:21 remaining in the fourth quarter, Wilson threw the football into traffic and the ricochet landed in the arms of Giants rookie cornerback Darnay Holmes at the Seahawks’ 39. Four plays later, Gano’s 48-yard field goal extended the Giants’ lead to 17-5 with just under ten minutes to play.

Seattle bounced back with 6:09 remaining when Wilson hit running back Chris Carson for a 28-yard scoring strike to narrow the score to 17-12. The Seahawks would get one last shot to win the game when the Giants punted with 1:48 remaining. The defense once again made stand to preserve the lead and the win. From front to back they played lights out in this game.

Notes

  • Seattle was 5-0 this season at home and had been averaging 31.0 points per game through the first 12 weeks, which was third in the NFL. They were fifth in yards per game (391). Seattle fell short all of those averages, scoring only 12 points and gaining just 327 total yards in this game
  • The Giants entered the game averaging 142 yards per game on the ground over their last eight games. They racked up a season-high 190 yards against the Seahawks’ third-ranked rush defense.
  • Wilson started the day as the second-most sacked quarterback in the league  (35) and the Giants added to that total to 40 with five sacks, 2.5 by Leonard Williams.

Wayne Gallman, defense carry Giants to enormous upset of Seahawks

The New York Giants, led by a bruising defense and RB Wayne Gallman, upset the Seattle Seahawks, 17-12, in Week 13.

The New York Giants took a three-game winning streak into Seattle on Sunday and despite being 10.5-point underdogs, played the NFC West-leading Seahawks tougher than any opponent they’ve faced this season.

New York trailed by just five at halftime and then took an nine-point lead into the fourth quarter. But the Seahawks and Russell Wilson would not go away, trimming the Giants’ lead to five with 6:00 remaining in the game.

The Giants were able to grind the clock down to 1:48 before Seattle got the ball back and it felt like momentum was shifting, but as they have done all year, the Big Blue defense stepped up and shut things down for the biggest upset of the year.

Stock up, down after Giants’ 19-17 victory over Bengals

Whose stock is up and whose is down following the New York Giants’ victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12?

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It’s been a long time since the New York Giants were a first place team in the NFC East, but after Sunday’s game, they have returned to that throne.

The Giants came away with a very important 19-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals and were able to not only improve to 4-7, but take over first place in the division.

Now, how long they hold onto the division lead is anyone’s guess. They will travel up to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Seahawks, a team that the Giants have had struggles against over the last few years, in Week 13.

Before the Giants square off against one of the harder opponents on their schedule, whose stock was up and down after Sunday’s victory in Cincinnati?

Giants defeat Bengals: Winners, losers and those in between

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the Giants Week 12 victory over the Bengals. 

Sunday’s game between the New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals turned into a battle of the backups after Daniel Jones exited with a hamstring injury late in the third quarter.

That thrust backup Colt McCoy into the game and the Giants’ offense did not do much scoring for the rest of the afternoon.

A brutal holding penalty by Cam Fleming negated what would’ve been the game-ending first down for Wayne Gallman and a 29-yard punt return put the Bengals at mid-field down two points.

Luckily, Jabaal Sheard produced a strip sack to end it as Leonard Williams recovered the ball for the Giants slamming the door shut.

Despite a stagnant offense following the departure of Jones, the defense made the difference forcing three turnovers to seal the deal.

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the Giants Week 12 victory over the Bengals.

 

Giants vs. Bengals Player of the Game: Leonard Williams

The New York Giants defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12 and DL Leonard Williams earns our Player of the Game.

Let this sink in for a second: the New York Giants are in first place of the NFC East.

The Giants, who started out 1-7 and looked like they would be competing for the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, are instead now winners of three straight with a 19-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

That same Giants team is now 4-7 and are in first place in the division, which is crazy to think, but hey… that’s 2020 for you.

On a defense that has played particularly very well all year, Leonard Williams has been one of the more consistent players for that defense.

On Sunday, Williams had two tackles with three quarterback hits and a sack, which was his sixth of the season. But the biggest play of the game was when Bengals quarterback Brandon Allen was sacked, fumbled the ball and Williams recovered it to seal the win for the Giants.

Williams, who did have an ugly late-game penalty in Week 12, has been playing this season on a franchise tag with the hopes of a long-term deal. Given how well he has played in 2020, Williams is earning his next contract and is making the Giants decision on paying him a difficult one.

The Giants are now learning how to win and finish games and they got a massive push from their defense who helped finish the victory.

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Giants players shocked by firing of Marc Colombo

New York Giants players admit they were shocked by the firing of offensive line coach Marc Colombo, but fully support head coach Joe Judge.

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When the announcement was made that the New York Giants had fired offensive line coach Marc Colombo, the news came as a bit of a shock to the football world.

The Giants’ O-line had been improving after all, and many viewed Colombo as one of the league’s best positional teachers. However, it wasn’t long before we all learned what led up to the firing and just how ugly things had gotten between Colombo and head coach Joe Judge.

Ultimately, Judge decided that parting ways with Colombo was best for the organization and he made sure to discuss the situation with his players.

“I spoke to the entire team last week. I spoke with the offensive line, I spoke with the captains, I spoke with people both individually and collectively based on the units,” Judge told reporters on Monday. “Again, we’re pretty transparent as an organization. If something happens with the team, we keep it in-house, but I speak very openly with the team about it.”

Like everyone else, the players felt somewhat blindsided by Colombo’s firing, but have faith that Judge’s decisions really are in the best interest of the organization.

“I think it’s definitely a shock. I don’t care what type of job you have, if anyone gets fired, it’s going to be a shock to anyone in the workplace. I really don’t understand what was going on, so I feel like it wasn’t in my place to try to figure out what was going on,” defensive lineman Leonard Williams said. “I just figured it was something between them and something that had to happen upstairs. It’s not really in my payroll. I just come to play defensive end in the defense. Try to be the best leader I can be in my position. It was definitely a shock, that’s really all I can say.”

“That entire situation is definitely above my pay grade,” tight end Evan Engram said. “As a player and as a team, we know that with Coach Judge, every decision he makes is in the best interest of the team. I know me personally and a lot of guys loved working with Coach Colombo and obviously wish him the best. But like I said, that’s the thing with Coach Judge. His best interest is always with the team.”

Ultimately, Williams says, you either buy in on what Judge is selling or you don’t — and most have.

“[Judge’s] style of coaching is good for players who want to win and want to play hard, practice hard, and understand that your practice is reflective of how you play. Guys that are willing to buy into a program are going to do great under a system like that,” Williams added.

“There’s obviously some guys who are a little bit harder to coach and little bit harder to get to buy into systems. They might be a little bit harder to fall into line. At the same time, when you’re a part of this team, you kind of feel the atmosphere of everyone buying in. Even those guys that are a little bit harder to coach, once they see the rest of their teammates buying in, they will come along eventually, too. I think it’s a great way, the way we practice. I think it shows we have a tough team. I feel like after losses or wins we go right back to work. I think it’s a hard-hat type of team that wants to work and grind.”

Perhaps Colombo was one of the outliers. And even with some player support, Judge is the captain of the ship and it’s his way or no way.

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Giants’ Leonard Williams: You’ve got to play your best after Thanksgiving

New York Giants DT Leonard Williams has never tasted the playoff before, but strong post-Thanksgiving football could get him there.

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As crazy as it sounds, the New York Giants will be playing meaningful football after Thanksgiving this season. Following a 1-7 start, the Giants will play the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday and attempt to extend their winning streak to three.

Leonard Williams, who leads the team in sacks, has made a point that the Giants must play well down the stretch.

“In terms of football and football knowledge and awareness of the season and how it goes, people always say the realest football is played around these months after Thanksgiving. This is definitely the time where you have to play some of you best football,” Williams told reporters on Monday.

“We’re kind of past that halfway marker, so we just have to tighten things up a little bit tighter. Make adjustments and just keep moving forward. We just came off of a bye week, so people should be feeling fresh and ready to attack the rest of the season.”

Williams was, of course, acquired by the Giants last season from the crosstown rival New York Jets. The trade was met with skepticism given Williams’ expiring contract and the team being in the middle of a losing season. After receiving the franchise tag this offseason, Williams has silenced that skepticism with his strong 2020 campaign.

Williams has never played in a postseason game since being drafted in 2015. The way the Giants season was going early on it didn’t seem like that would change for the veteran.

“I haven’t been to the playoffs yet, I got close one year when I went 10-6 with the Jets my rookie year. Since then, I haven’t really been close to going to the playoffs,” Williams said. “[But] that’s kind of far down the line still. Like I said, we just finished close to midseason. It’s kind of hard for us to look that far ahead. If we do something like that, we might mess around and overlook a team.”

Yet here the Giants are, entering Week 12 with a legitimate chance at a division crown. There is however, still a lot of football left to be played as Williams alludes.

What could be a wild ride begins just a few short days after Thanksgiving, so Williams & Co. know now is the time to turn up the heat.

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5 Giants who deserve Pro Bowl consideration

As the New York Giants head into their Week 11 bye, here’s a look at five of their players who deserve Pro Bowl consideration.

We’re going into Week 11 already which means there are six or seven games remaining for each team. It also means Pro Bowl voting is underway and will conclude on December 12.

The results will be announced on the NFL Network on December 17. For the record, the Pro Bowl game, which was scheduled to be played in Las Vegas on January 26, has been canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions.

So, that aside, how many (if any) New York Giants could be named this year? Let’s take a quick look.