Big Blue’s defense has been much-maligned for regressing this year, but three big plays by two big players made all the difference in Sunday’s win over Las Vegas at MetLife Stadium.
The first and second came courtesy of safety Xavier McKinney, who missed two days of live practice due to what the Giants thankfully found out was a slew of false positive COVID tests within the facility, but showed no ill effects of not being on the field.
McKinney had two interceptions on the day to double his season total (he had two against the Rams), and the first was a pick-six where he simply stepped in front of Raiders receiver Hunter Renfrow and took the pick to the house, 41 yards to give the Giants a 17-13 lead early in the second half.
“I just read the quarterback; I felt Renfrow going out and I was kind of just all eyes on the quarterback the whole time. He was looking it down, so just trust my instincts and I went, and I made the play,” McKinney said. “I was thinking touchdown all the way; my mentality every time I get the ball is to get yards and try to make a play, make a touchdown for our team.”
Later on, late in the fourth, McKinney once again picked off Derek Carr, showcasing an in-game adjustment by shagging a deep pass intended for Zay Jones to give the Giants the ball back mere minutes after Graham Gano had given the team a 20-16 lead.
“Just trust my instincts again; I actually told (James Bradberry) earlier in the game they did the same thing (a double move), and when I broke on it, they actually threw a back shoulder,” McKinney said. “I told him that if they do that again, I'm going to beat it and I'm going to pick it. They did the same thing, (Carr) threw it the same way he pumped, and I made a play.”
“He’s a smart player who understands what quarterbacks are doing, and it was good reading eyes in his coverage,” quarterback Daniel Jones said of McKinney. “He has tremendous physical skills and played big time today.”
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According to Bradberry, the team was in a Cover-3 and “(McKinney) saved my life,” but Xavier is confident the Giants would’ve made a play either way there.
“I don't think I saved him, but he was there anyway. Either one of us would have made the play,” McKinney said. “I told him I had his back, and he knew that. I made sure that I accomplished that, and I did have his back on that play.”
“I think he's just picking up the game of football at a high rate. When he first got here, of course we're all new, we're all rookies, you don't know what all the league is about,” Bradberry added of McKinney. “Coming in, he's learning a lot and he's executing when he gets out there. Like I said, he saved me today. He's being aggressive, making plays for us and I'm thankful to have him.”
Later in the game, the Giants were thankful that another young player stepped up. This time, it was linebacker Quincy Roche, who was one of two rookies and three brand-new Giants who were rushing Derek Carr on the final offensive play the Raiders ran, strip-sacking Carr for the game-icing turnover.
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“I’d been looking at his (Raiders OT Kolton Miller) set all game. I was going power for the most part, but that drive wanted to give a change up, wanted to switch it up against a good player and I beat him around the edge,” Roche said. “He's a great player, but it was a great play. I was thinking just finish; it goes back to what we do in practice, finish at the top of your rushes. That's been drilled hundreds of times, so when you're in the game your body is taking over.”
Roche was a sixth-round pick by the Steelers this year but was cut right at the end of camp, and the Giants pounced on the former Miami star. Roche was inactive and/or barely played the first few weeks, but when Lorenzo Carter sat out Monday’s game in Kansas City, it was Roche who stepped up and showcased himself.
He ended up getting the start Sunday with Oshane Ximines a healthy scratch, and came up big on a final drive where, apparently, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham was “drawing up plays in the dirt” according to head coach Joe Judge to try to give the Raiders some different looks.
“Anytime you have a two-minute situation, that's time to show up for the pass rushers on the field; those are the moments that we live for,” Roche said. “We made some adjustments, which coach (Graham) is great at, and it’s one of the things I'm understanding as a rookie: there's going to be a lot of adjustments coming during the game. We made some adjustments in the last drive and it paid off.”
“I wouldn't say that he was drawing plays up in the dirt, but we were going over some calls that we might have not had in the game plan to run this week, but might've run in weeks past,” Bradberry added. “We definitely knew the call; it wasn't something we were prepared for, but (Graham) prepared us on the sideline and we went out there and executed.”
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Roche knew the Giants had recovered the fumble when he heard the crowd screaming, as he didn’t see Leonard Williams scoop it up to ice the game, but it ended a final stand that actually had the Giants’ offense both stressed out and ready in the same breath.
“I was pretty stressed out, but I had a feeling our D would step up. They’ve been playing lights out the last few weeks and we’ve been following their lead,” Evan Engram said. “They stepped up for 60 minutes, so credit to them for this big win.”
“In those situations, you’re preparing for two things: if you get the ball in the four-minute and have to bleed clock, or you have to go into the two-minute and get down to kick a field goal,” Jones added. “But, the defense stepped up and did an incredible job like they did all game.”
And, even if Roche may have usurped Ximines’ job even if Carter remains out for a while, the advice Roche has gotten from Ximines goes to show how this defensive unit has been working together all year, even if results didn’t always show it.
“He’s been supportive since I got here. Me and him were coming off the bench together so that was the guy who was helping me through the playbook, helping guide me through everything, so he's been nothing but supportive and I'm the same for him,” Roche said.
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