At Xavier McKinney’s lowest level, after breaking his left hand in a November off-roading accident, the Giants free security by no means would have believed he’d be making a game-winning playoff deal with in January.
“Hell naw,” McKinney mentioned at his locker after Sunday’s 31-24 Wild Card win in Minnesota. “It was low moments for me. Honestly I didn’t know when I was gonna come back or if I was gonna be able to. I tried to stay positive, but I wasn’t sure. I could only rehab, get better, try to get back out as fast as I could. But I couldn’t imagine today and what happened.”
What occurred is that McKinney — with the fingers on his left hand taped collectively onto a splint — stood up Vikings tight finish T.J. Hockenson 5 yards wanting the sticks for the game-winning turnover on downs within the Giants’ first postseason victory in 11 years.
Dexter Lawrence’s strain up the center pressured Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins to throw wanting the primary down marker on 4th and eight. And McKinney made positive the highly effective Hockenson superior no additional, dragging him all the way down to the bottom out of bounds on the Giants’ 49-yard line.
“I knew where the sticks were,” McKinney mentioned with a smile. “For me, my job was just to get him to the ground. I didn’t want him to catch it, but I was able to get him to the ground.”
Finishing the sport was a proud second for McKinney, and it must be.
He was embarrassed on Nov. 7 when he introduced that he’d been in an ATV accident in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in the course of the Giants’ bye week. He sustained a number of fractures that required surgical procedure and an extended rehab.
And although he didn’t say it on the time, McKinney doubted whether or not he’d play once more this season in any respect.
“You saw the X-rays? That type of injury, [the trainers] were trying to make me feel better, but the way my hand was, they didn’t really know,” he mentioned. “I feel they had been making an attempt to maintain my spirits up, however actually I didn’t know.
“I was trying to stay positive,” he added. “But the injury I had, that’s something that takes months. That really should have taken two or three months. But I was able to grind and get back.”
McKinney missed seven video games and returned in beneath two months for the Giants’ 38-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17.
He performed 48 snaps in that recreation, 83% of the defensive whole, earlier than the Giants pulled some starters in a blowout. And he admitted after that victory that he was drained, having not performed in so lengthy.
There had been so many low factors earlier than he bought again in uniform, McKinney couldn’t even pinpoint his worst one.
“I don’t even know,” he mentioned. “I had a lot of them. I can’t really pick one.”
McKinney expressed lately that he was grateful to the Giants’ group for his or her understanding and inclusive course of to welcome him again from his bye week mistake, nevertheless.
And by Sunday, the 2020 second-round pick of Alabama was prepared for a full workload, logging all 57 defensive snaps and making the game-sealing play on the finish.
Of course, McKinney couldn’t make the entire performs he’s used to creating along with his hand compromised.
He did not catch a Cousins third quarter deep shot to Justin Jefferson that he usually would ball hawk for an interception.
Later that very same drive within the early fourth quarter, he additionally struggled to know Hockenson on a gang deal with simply wanting a primary all the way down to power a discipline purpose.
Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale seemingly moved McKinney all the way down to the road of scrimmage and out of the deep third of the sector after he dropped the interception attempt.
Head coach Brian Daboll claimed the adjustment was in response to Hockenson hitting a 19-yard put up on Landon Collins on the earlier drive, however the recreation circulation exhibits McKinney began within the deep half on the next possession previous to the near-INT.
“That’s something that we talked about after he hit a little short post on it, and we put X on him,” Daboll mentioned. “Good to have X back.”
“We had to make an adjustment, went to play lower in the box and that was kind of on the fly,” McKinney mentioned, with out acknowledging the precise motive for his re-assignment.
Regardless, the Giants captain is again on the sector and making large performs to muster a playoff run. Considering McKinney didn’t anticipate to be right here within the first place in November, that’s a serious accomplishment.
WINK GETS A LOOK
The Indianapolis Colts have requested head teaching interviews with each Giants coordinators: Martindale on protection and Mike Kafka on offense. This is Martindale’s first interview request this cycle. It comes after he held the Eagles’ first-string offense to 22 factors with largely backups on the highway in Week 18, and after the Giants protection restricted Vikings star receiver Jefferson to seven catches for 47 yards in Sunday’s 31-24.
Kafka now has three groups looking for interviews: the Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers and Colts. But Daboll mentioned his offensive coordinator is not going to be taking any of the interviews this week, though he’s eligible to take action.
“He’s not going to do anything,” Daboll mentioned. “Everything’s focused on Philadelphia, so this is going to be a normal week for him, for our offense. I know where his focus is. So there won’t be any interviews leading up to this game.”
UNSUNG HERO
Third-year slot nook Darnay Holmes made two big-time performs to explode Vikings display screen passes to operating again Dalvin Cook in Sunday’s fourth quarter.
He shot upfield to deal with Cook for a 3-yard loss on 1st and 10 on the Giants’ 25 on the primary play of the fourth quarter. That helped power Minnesota to accept a discipline purpose and a 24-24 tie on that drive.
Then after Saquon Barkley’s second TD gave the Giants a 31-24 lead, Holmes fired upfield on the primary play of Minnesota’s subsequent drive to deal with Cook on one other display screen for a four-yard loss. And the Vikings went three and out.
“I’m the type of guy where you get me once, it’s hard to get me twice,” Holmes, mentioned after the win. “They ran that to the flat on the sport’s first collection [for six yards], and I performed it with integrity, set the sting. OK. Next time round, large time play, needed to go make the play.
“I knew that by taking that shot, I had to make the play,” Holmes mentioned of leaving his spot and sprinting upfield for the deal with. “If you risk it, you gotta execute on the risk that you take. That’s something we always talk about on the back end within our system. The opportunity presented itself, and I seized the moment.”
UNCLEAR ON AZEEZ, PINNOCK
Daboll had no replace on edge rusher Azeez Ojulari (quad) and security Jason Pinnock (stomach), who each bought damage within the win. Pinnock was taken to the hospital in Minneapolis earlier than returning to the stadium and flying house with the group.
“We’ll go day to day with all those guys,” Daboll mentioned.
Asked if there have been some other considerations, Daboll mentioned: “We’re in good shape after a tough game. I think nothing out of the ordinary.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com