“It’s over with…I wasn’t going to be denied on that one.”
Those are the words of Sterling Shepard, who returned Sunday less than nine months after tearing his Achilles in Dallas and put a stamp on the Giants’ 21-20 win over Tennessee with a 65-yard touchdown catch in the second half.
And it came on a play that may have looked broken, as Shepard slipped behind Titans DB Kristian Fulton and was all alone – but it turns out, that was kind of the design.
“There were four guys out of the pattern, and a fifth if the back didn't have to protect, and we got behind (Fulton) a couple of times in the game, with David Sills,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “Every shot, we want him to be efficient. It's a heavy zone team, take what they give us. If it's – what was it? Seven to nine from 80 yards or not even 80 yards, whatever it was. Just keep on doing the right thing and hopefully you get a couple of shots in there.”
“He kind of just ran me off, and I was just looking at the quarterback…I can’t be caught looking that,” said Fulton about being beat on the play.
No matter how it came together, it was an emotional moment for Shepard, who was carted off the field last December and wasn’t sure if he’d even make it to this season as a Giant, let alone be able to return to the field in Week 1.
“It has been a long time coming, a long road for me so I just thank God, man. It was some dark times going through recovery,” Shepard said.
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“I was running a flare, and I saw the ball up. I saw 3 (Shepard) wide open and (Daniel Jones) gave him a great ball. He scored and I kind of sprinted down there and just wanted to give him a hug,” Saquon Barkley added. “It's been a rough couple of years for a couple of us, and especially him battling to come back from his Achilles. When we needed him most, he made a big play. Everyone made key plays throughout this game. It's going to take all of us continue to win.”
It was the first of two Jones TD passes on the day, and like Barkley, the QB was excited to be able to have his first score of 2022 go to someone who is now the longest tenured Giants skill player.
“Yeah, he’s definitely there. He's had to go through a lot to get back to where he is now, and to see him make a big time play behind the defense and score for us in a critical point of the game was huge,” Jones said. “And knowing where he's come from, that was fun to watch.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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