Getty Jabrill Peppers #21 of the New York Giants celebrates after breaking up a touchdown catch against Jeremy Sprinkle #87 of the Washington Redskins during their game at MetLife Stadium on September 29, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The New York Giants’ uphill battle this week against the Green Bay Packers just got even steeper with several key starters, including their leading tackler, officially ruled out for Sunday’s home game.
The Giants ruled out safety Jabrill Peppers (back) against the Packers along with wide receiver Golden Tate (concussion) and tight ends Evan Engram (foot) and Rhett Ellison (concussion) in Friday’s injury report. None of the bunch had practiced in the team’s three sessions this week.
Peppers exited last Sunday’s 19-14 loss to the Chicago Bears with a hip injury and earlier this week underwent an MRI to determine the severity, but there has been no additional update on that front apart from the Giants shutting him down in Week 13. The Giants also lost Tate in the trip to Chicago after he was concussed on a late touchdown.
The injuries to Engram and Tate leave rookie quarterback Daniel Jones without two of his top pass-catching weapons, putting the onus on wideouts Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepherd to pick up the slack alongside star-studded rusher Saquon Barkley.
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Peppers’ Status Means More Reps for Julian Love
The injury to Peppers is a crushing blow to the Giants secondary with some speculating he could end up being shut down for the remainder of the season, but someone — or someones — will need to step up in his absence even if replicating his impact seems farfetched.
Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said earlier this week he was planning to roll with a combination of rookie Julian Love and Michael Thomas at the strong safety position while Antoine Bethea mans his usual spot at free safety.
“We’ll fill in,” Shurmur told reporters Wednesday. “I thought Love did a good job with his first extended action last week. he’s displayed a lot of things that we thought he might have. We’ll just try to build on that if for some reason Jabrill can’t make it.”
Despite the Giants leaving Chicago with their seventh straight loss, Love picked off Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky near the start of the fourth quarter for his first career interception. He also finished with a tackle to bring his season total up to three.
Seeking Revenge, Packers Have Exploitable Defense
Little doubt exists that Jones and the two-win Giants are facing a difficult challenge with the NFC North-leading Packers coming to town, especially without several of their top options in the passing game. But the run game could be plenty lucrative this week against a Packers defense that struggles against talented rushers.
Christian McCaffrey rushed for more than 100 yards and a touchdown inside Lambeau Field for the Carolina Panthers in Week 10, while Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler combined for 150 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Los Angeles Chargers to a home win over the Packers in Week 9. As a whole, the Packers are yielding a seventh-worst 125.5 rushing yards per game.
Barkley hasn’t quite picked up where he left off as the 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year with injuries robbing him of a few games this year, but the Packers could present a back-on-track type of game for the dynamic rusher if his offensive line can force open holes and hold off outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith along the edge.
Jones will also need to do his part to help the Giants establish some rhythm against the Packers defense, which has been prone to explosive plays this year, and his best path toward doing so seems to go through Shepherd. The fourth-year receiver played only his fifth game of the season in Week 12 against the Bears, quietly catching five passes for 15 yards, but his second week back should see him grow more comfortable again.
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