Andrew Thomas needed to be picked up by teammates off the turf on Sunday, when he wasn’t limping in between performs or slowly rising off his knees himself.
“I knew Drew was really hurting out there,” heart Jon Feliciano mentioned.
The Giants’ left deal with tweaked his twice-surgically-repaired left ankle a pair occasions within the first half. But he by no means got here out of the sport.
And within the fourth quarter, he sprinted 40 yards downfield to information Ravens nook Marcus Peters out of bounds on an interception that got here again on account of a Baltimore penalty.
Why are the Giants 5-1? Well, it doesn’t harm that their captain on Daniel Jones’ blind aspect is taking part in the perfect ball of his profession, and is setting a gutsy instance for the group.
“It just starts when we talk about what you’re playing for,” Thomas informed the Daily News after Sunday’s 24-20 win. “The greatest factor with this group, the explanation why we struggle so arduous, is simply because we play for one another. There’s probably not selfishness.
“Nobody’s like: I’m not getting the ball,” Thomas added. “Everybody’s working hard. Receivers are blocking in the run game. Everybody’s putting their body on the line. It’s easy to fight through something like that when you know people are fighting for you, too.”
Thomas, a third-year professional, is the one Giants offensive participant who has not missed a snap but this season. He has performed all 396.
He can also be Pro Football Football Focus’ highest-graded offensive lineman this season (90.2). He has not allowed a sack but. He has allowed solely 9 QB pressures in six video games. And he’s PFF’s No. 7 O-lineman in zone run blocking (89.4).
Feliciano had performed 100% of the Giants’ snaps via 5 weeks, too, till he tweaked his groin in Sunday’s second half. Still, he solely missed 4 snaps contained in the blue tent earlier than returning. Another instance of a big-name group chief gutting it out.
“Yeah,” Feliciano mentioned with a smirk. “I wasn’t gonna miss much time.”
And then there was Saquon Barkley within the fourth quarter, shaking out his injured proper shoulder, leaving the sport for a snap, doubled over in ache on the sideline.
He returned one play later and leapt into the tip zone for the go-ahead landing, although his shoulder was so tender, he couldn’t even have a good time along with his teammates.
(Look on the replay, proper guard Mark Glowinski provides Barkley a playful shove on his shoulder, and Barkley recoils and jogs away).
Thomas, by the best way, made the important thing block on Barkley’s landing, crashing down and pushing Ravens edge Jason Pierre-Paul into one other dimension.
Rookie proper deal with Evan Neal, the bookend to Thomas on the Giants’ offensive line, mentioned it units a tone when gamers like Thomas, Feliciano and Barkley are grinding via ache.
“It makes a huge difference,” Neal mentioned. “It makes you want to fight for your teammate that much harder, because he’s out there busting his ass and he doesn’t feel 100 percent. It just shows the grit those guys have and makes me want to play that much harder.”
WHERE WAS WARD?
Giants edge rusher Jihad Ward has been one of many group’s greatest gamers this season and one in every of its emotional leaders. So it was curious to see him sidelined for the ultimate two drives of Sunday’s fourth quarter in opposition to his former Ravens group.
Of the eight snaps Ward sat, Kayvon Thibodeaux performed seven of these snaps at edge, Oshane Ximines performed six and undrafted rookie Tomon Fox performed three.
“That’s the package we had in,” head coach Brian Daboll mentioned on Zoom Monday. “Just our rotation.”
Ward didn’t complain after the sport. But he didn’t dismiss a query about his absence, both.
“Listen, take advantage of all your opportunities out there,” Ward mentioned. “I don’t make decisions on any of that stuff. They did a hell of a job coaching. So with that being said, take advantage of all your opportunities. I don’t sit around here and cry about why I’m not in there. I need them guys and they need me. So I take advantage of all my opportunities. I’ve been doing that all my whole career.”
Ward is an efficient teammate. He was pumped up on the sideline as Julian Love and Thibodeaux pressured game-changing turnovers.
“Kayvon for President,” Ward mentioned with a smile.
It simply didn’t add as much as see one of many group’s most impactful gamers idle on the sideline for eight defensive snaps with the sport on the road.
It didn’t look like damage associated, or Daboll would have mentioned so. Ward had acquired a veteran relaxation day on Thursday to get his physique proper. But he was a full follow participant on Friday and had began Sunday’s sport.
STAYING FOCUSED
Wide receiver Darius Slayton mentioned Monday on Zoom that it received’t be arduous for the Giants to disregard their 5-1 file and hold grinding as a result of they’ve a lot follow making an attempt to neglect their file in earlier years.
“We have experience of ignoring our record for bad reasons,” Slayton mentioned. “So that experience is probably gonna pay off, if we continue this trend and just ignore it and keep playing good ball.”
Slayton was requested if it’s higher to disregard file or a foul file.
“Much better to ignore a good one,” he smiled. “I can attest.”
ODDS AND ENDS
Ximines mentioned Monday that he tweaked his quad on the Love interception play, however he’ll be OK … Ward clamored on Sunday for Jackson to get his massive contract from Baltimore: “Pay that man. Pay Lamar Jackson please!”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com