The Giants may not have planned to lean on Colton Hood this soon, but Week 2 could force the issue.
New York has liked the depth in its secondary from the start, and that’s given the team some breathing room with Paulson Adebo, Dru Phillips, Deonte Banks, and Greg Newsome all in the mix at cornerback. That cushion has allowed the Giants to ease the second-round rookie along instead of tossing him straight into the deep end.
Hood barely got his feet wet in the opener, logging just six snaps in the 28-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Even so, his role could expand fast because of the injuries stacking up around him.
He saw the field in Week 1 after both Banks and Newsome were hurt and later returned. If they’re still not fully right by Monday night, Hood’s workload changes in a hurry.
That possibility became harder to ignore when the Giants released their first injury report of the week on Thursday. Since the team doesn’t play until Monday Night Football, the report came later than usual, and all three starting cornerbacks showed up on it. Adebo did not practice and is headed to injured reserve, while Banks and Newsome were limited.
With Adebo unavailable, Hood is now positioned as the third outside corner in the rotation. If two of the three are out, he would likely start on the boundary. That would put the 21-year-old in a prime-time spotlight against the Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood.
It’s a rough assignment for a player still trying to get his first extended NFL run. The Rams will ask him to deal with Davante Adams and Puka Nacua, a pair that qualifies as one of the league’s most dangerous receiver duos. Adams led the NFL in receiving touchdowns last season, and Nacua keeps showing up near the top of the stat sheet.
Los Angeles is also coming off a brutal opener in Australia and looking to bounce back. For the Giants, though, the focus is on whether Hood can handle the moment if his number gets called.
New York drafted the Tennessee product with the 37th pick because it believed he could become a long-term piece in the secondary. The flashes have been there this summer, but the regular season is where that promise has to show up. Monday night could be the first real chance for Hood to prove why the Giants made that investment.
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Giants Just Found A Week 2 Path The Rams May Not Handle
The Rams came out of Week 1 with more questions than answers on defense after San Francisco picked apart their nickel looks and leaned on short passes to keep the pressure steady. For the Giants, that kind of blueprint looks awfully familiar after their win over Dallas, where the offense leaned into a conservative passing approach and made the most of matchups that asked the Cowboys to defend in space.
If New York wants a chance to keep that formula working in Week 2, the key will be staying patient on third down and forcing Los Angeles into the kinds of personnel decisions it struggled with a week ago. The matchup sets up as less about flashy throws and more about whether the Giants can keep strings of drives alive against a defense that already showed cracks in the same areas the Giants are likely to test. [Read more 🡒]
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Sean McVays team is already dealing with a defense that has its own mix of absence and relief, with Myles Garrett on injured reserve for an extended stretch and Aaron Donald expected back. For the Giants, the situation is worth watching closely because any disruption to Nacua's availability could change how the Rams attack and how much room New York has to dictate the games tempo. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Skattebo Just Put Giants Tough-Guy Identity To An Early Test
The Giants head into Monday Night Football in Week 2 already carrying a little extra edge, with the matchup against the Rams bringing plenty of early-season intrigue. Los Angeles is expected to have Aaron Donald back for his season debut after retiring two seasons ago, which is enough to test any offensive line, let alone one still trying to settle in this early in the year.
Cam Skattebo did not sound intimidated by the challenge. The Giants player said he feels confident in the offense and ready for the kind of physical battle Donald can still force, a sign this group is trying to lean into the tough-guy identity it wants to build. For a team trying to establish itself quickly, this is the sort of matchup that can either reinforce that image or expose how far there still is to go. [Read more 🡒]