Giants fans have been waiting for Kayvon Thibodeaux to have a signature breakout game, and it seems like he picked the right time to do it: Sunday night, in a game against the Commanders that was integral to the Giants’ playoff future.
Twelve tackles (nine solo), including three for loss, and a strip sack/fumble recovery for a touchdown? Not a bad coming out party for the rookie, especially in a huge spot. Huge for the fans, but for Thibodeaux, he wasn’t waiting for this performance, because he knew it would eventually come.
“You never wait, you just keep working. It's gonna come,” he said after the win. “That's one thing that the vets have been imparting to me; it’s New York, and people asking how you feel about going how many games without a sack…that’s the life. But I didn't get here because I was waiting or sitting back or wanted to see what was going to happen. I take everything that's been given to me. I take everything that's in front of me. There's nothing that's given."
Thibodeaux had five tackles and a sack of Taylor Heinicke two weeks ago, so he didn’t really do anything differently this time around, instead saying the performance was “manifestation,” that a talk with his mother pregame saw her tell him “you can do anything you put your mind to.”
For the Giants, though, it was just further proof that Thibodeaux is on the right road.
“I think he has consistently improved throughout the year, and I’m glad we drafted him,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “I think he has gotten better each week. He's a big part of our defense, and tonight he gave a lot of juice. That play he made changed the tide early. He is a very talented player and he played like it."
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“That’s every single day. He comes to work every day, grinds and works on his craft and gets better,” added Saquon Barkley. “Big time players need to step up in this game and he's one of those guys – and I think that's just the start. He showed what he's capable of doing and the future is really bright for him."
That showcase, according to Barkley, actually started in pregame warmups.
"The biggest thing for me that stood out, outside of his performance, was before the game, a rookie stepped up and called everyone up and got us going. And that's big,” said Barkley. “It’s big when a rookie steps up in that moment in a big game, and he didn’t shy away from the moment. He showed his character, his leadership qualities, the type of person he is – and not only did he step up and talk about it, he was about it on the field. He let his play do the talking too."
The strip sack/fumble recovery touchdown was huge for Thibodeaux, as he had a similar chance against Heinicke on the sack two weeks ago but didn’t convert. This time, he did.
"It was a heck of a play by him, he had a similar one a couple of weeks ago and got the sack on that one, and then the sack, fumble, touchdown this week was an incredible play,” said Daniel Jones. “He's playing at an extremely high level right now."
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“I'm gonna be honest, I made a joke on the sideline and I said if you're playing football you can't think at the same time so you've gotta let my adrenaline come down, and I can’t even tell you what happened,” Thibodeaux laughed of the play. “This game was gritty and we had to dig deep, and as a defensive line, there was no dodging. We called our fights, and it was a battle. On that play, when I saw (Heinicke), I thought, ‘shoot, he still has the ball,’ but when I hit him, I just saw the ball and kept going.”
But as much as that play got the Giants rolling, it may have been Thibodeaux’s final tackle that was just as important: stopping Heinicke on the one-yard-line on the Commanders’ final drive, preventing a touchdown that could’ve made it 20-18 and sent the game to a tying two-point conversion try – a touchdown that never came because he had the angle and stopped Heinicke short.
“When you look down and you see him running, and you look down, and you see the goal line right there - that isn't about angles, that's about making a play,” Thibodeaux said. “I couldn't tell you if I had a good angle. He saw me and I saw him. That's it. I was in coverage, and sometimes it’s hard when you're playing man coverage and you gotta look back. But when I saw him coming, I'm just like, ‘strap up.’ If it’s me against anyone, I'm coming out victorious.”
A penalty moved the Commanders back to the six, and after two incompletions, the game was in hand, two kneel downs between the team and a win. And, for a change, a full defensive effort for 60 minutes.
The rest of the schedule is even tougher, but the Big Blue D is ready for the challenge.
“We're gonna battle. I think our coaches are resilient and I think they call the game with fire, with passion, and players see that. It helps us build because we do it together,” Thibodeaux said. “Every team, they speak about this 'we're family', but come on. Everybody knows that. Let's be real and see it. It exudes out of how we play. I think for us, we gotta continue to stick together, continue to keep our bodies healthy and keep moving."
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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