PERSONNEL NEWS

Strategy And Personnel

The Sports Xchange

September 29, 2018 at 9:44 am.

FRIDAY INJURY REPORT
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

–OUT: LB Manti Te’o (knee)

–QUESTIONABLE: DE Marcus Davenport (hip)
NEW YORK GIANTS

–OUT: CB Eli Apple (groin), TE Evan Engram (knee), WR Cody Latimer (knee), RB Jonathan Stewart (foot), DE Olivier Vernon (ankle)

–QUESTIONABLE: WR Stacy Coley (hamstring), CB Antonio Hamilton (groin)

PLAYER NOTES

–RB Saquon Barkley aims for his fourth straight game with 100 all-purpose yards. Barkley became the first player in franchise history to start a season with three consecutive 100-yard performances.

–TE Evan Engram (knee) did not practice this week and is considered week-to-week after suffering a sprained MCL in last week’s win over the Texans. According to a source, Engram’s injury shouldn’t keep him out more than two weeks, though with the Giants having three games over the next two and a half weeks, he could be looking at the Oct. 22 game against the Falcons as a possible return date.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: WR Sterling Shepard. Through three games, Shepard has recorded 14 receptions for 152 yards and a touchdown, slightly behind his 2017 start in which he had 16 receptions for 200 yards after three games. With tight end Evan Engram expected to miss at least two weeks of action, Shepard has a chance to cash in even more as the coaching staff continues to give him opportunities both in the slot and on the outside.

GAME PLAN: The Saints’ offense begins with the right arm of quarterback Drew Brees, one of the most prolific passers in NFL history. Because Brees is a master of getting the ball out of his hand quickly, he’s been tough to bring down. Beside that, Brees has pinpoint accuracy, topping 70 percent in completion rate every season since 2016.

The Giants must zoom in on Brees, the brains of the operation who gets the ball out of his hands so quickly that a pass rush is barely effective. Brees is currently tied for seventh in the league in the number of successful deep passes of 20 or more yards thrown with 13. If the Giants can get a healthy Eli Apple back this week, that would be a big boost to their defensive secondary.

On offense, the Giants are expected to be without tight end Evan Engram this week, but they have plenty of other weapons, such as receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard and running back Saquon Barkley. Tight end Rhett Ellison, an underrated receiver, is expected to pick up some of what Engram does. The Giants will face a Saints pass defense that is currently yielding 336.7 yards per game and just lost cornerback Michael Robinson to a season-ending ankle injury.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH

–Giants FS Curtis Riley vs. Saints passing offense. Riley hasn’t been tested too much on deep balls, but that could change this week, because the Saints love the deep ball. Brees is tied for seventh in the league with 13 pass completions of 20-plus yards. He is averaging 27.8 yards per pass on his deep throws, with dangerous Michael Thomas at his disposal. Riley hasn’t always taken the sharpest angles in coverage and at times has been late to help cornerbacks, as was the case in Week 2’s loss against Dallas. He’ll need to tighten up his game this week and make sure he doesn’t let Thomas or any of the Saints receivers get past him, especially if the Giants continue deploying that Cover-1 shell.

–Giants RT Chad Wheeler vs. Saints DE Cam Jordan. Wheeler was a surprise addition to the Giants’ starting offensive line last week, replacing the struggling Ereck Flowers at right tackle. Wheeler’s first test, against future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt, wasn’t quite a shutout, but Wheeler opened a few eyes with his attention to detail, his commitment to technique and his willingness to finish blocks. He was solid against Watt on run blocking and won a surprising share of battles in pass blocking. This week, he’ll go against Jordan, who is currently tied for the league lead in sacks (4.0) with Cleveland’s Myles Garrett. Jordan is another speed rusher cut from a similar cloth as Watt. Look for the Giants to make sure Wheeler gets more help on that side, especially in pass rush situations.

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