The Giants don’t just have to deal with Jeremiyah Love on Sunday. They have to deal with him in two different ways, and that’s what makes this matchup tricky.
Arizona’s No. 3 pick has already shown he can hurt a defense as a runner and as a receiver. After preseason injuries and a slow start to the year, Love finally flashed in last week’s 36-30 loss to the rival 49ers, finishing with 109 total yards - 90 on the ground and 19 through the air - on 26 touches. He also caught his first receiving touchdown.
That last part matters just as much as the rushing numbers. Love comes into Week 4 with 10 receptions, the most of any rookie running back and fifth among rookies overall.
Rookie coach Mike LaFleur and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett (!) have made it a point to get the Notre Dame product involved as a pass catcher right away, instead of treating him like a one-dimensional back.
For the Giants, that means the job is bigger than simply corralling him between the tackles. Injuries have thinned out their secondary, with multiple players limited or missing practice this week, so the burden shifts to Arvell Reese and the linebacker group to keep Love from becoming a problem out of the backfield. They’ve already shown they can bottle up a lead back - Javonte Williams managed just 3.4 yards per carry against them in Week 1.
New York has been solid enough against the run overall. The Giants have allowed 313 rushing yards, a number that sits below the league average of 342.2.
Still, the 4.7 yards per attempt they’ve given up is tied for sixth-worst, and the damage in Week 2 was real: Kyren Williams and Blake Corum combined for 164 yards. Strip that game out, and the Giants have allowed just 149 rushing yards in their other two outings.
There’s also the bigger picture. With a chance to grab sole possession of first place in the NFC East, Sunday carries obvious weight.
But the Giants shouldn’t spend too much time wondering what it would have looked like if Love had fallen to No. 5 in April. They took Reese instead, and so far that pick has paid off.
He played a major role in last week’s win over the Titans, and a 3-1 start is very much in play.
In Other News...
Odell Beckham Jr. Just Reopened An Ugly Giants Decision
Odell Beckham Jr.s brief return to the Giants has already become another awkward chapter in a relationship that once defined the franchises offense. After limited playing time and just one target in three games, New York moved on after Week 3, a decision that coach John Harbaugh framed as a matter of fit and timing, saying Beckham did not match what the team had planned.
Beckham made it clear on social media that the mid-season exit stung, especially after what was supposed to be a meaningful homecoming. For the Giants, the episode only adds more weight to a move that was supposed to help in the short term but instead reopened one of the more uncomfortable conversations around how this reunion was handled. [Read more 🡒]
Giants May Have Found An Unexpected Answer In A Chaotic Win
The Giants 36-24 win over the Cardinals in Week 4 was the kind of game that revealed as much about the roster as the score did. New York had already been forced to absorb the season-ending loss of pass rusher Brian Burns and the release of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., yet it still steadied itself after falling behind early and found a way to take control.
One of the biggest reasons was rookie linebacker Arvell Reese, who made multiple defensive plays and looked like he belonged in the middle of the chaos. For a team dealing with injuries and turnover, those kinds of contributions matter, and they helped push the Giants to 3-1 while also hinting that they may have stumbled onto an unexpected answer on defense. [Read more 🡒]
Jameis Winston Just Made The Giants Quarterback Debate A Lot Harder
Jameis Winstons first extended turn in the Giants offense arrived at a moment when the team could have used some clarity at quarterback, and instead he created more of it. In Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, Winston went 18 of 29 for 250 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, mixing the kind of aggressive play that has always defined him with enough production to keep New York moving.
Even with the turnovers, Winston helped lead the key scoring drives that carried the Giants to a win, which is exactly the sort of performance that complicates an already interesting competition. With newly acquired J.J. McCarthy in the mix, the Giants now have a harder decision to make than they did before Sunday, and Winstons showing made sure that conversation is not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]