Skip to main content
New York Giants Website
Advertising

Giants News | New York Giants – Giants.com

10 Things To Watch For

Presented by

10 things to watch in Giants vs. Packers

DABOLL-LEFLEUR-10THINGS

TOMMY DeVITO TO START

Coach Brian Daboll announced Tuesday that Tommy DeVito would get his fourth start of the season this week when the Giants take on the Packers Monday. DeVito took over as the starter in Week 10 after Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor landed on injured reserve in consecutive weeks, leading the team to a 2-1 record while throwing six touchdown passes and only one interception.

"Tommy's done a good job; he's improved in each of the games he's played," Daboll said. "I thought he played well the last two games, made good decisions, was accurate with the football and earned the right to play."

DeVito has completed at least 68 percent of his passes and finished with a passer rating over 100 in each of the last two games. He became just the fifth undrafted rookie in the common draft era to win at least two of his first three starts, and also became the first undrafted rookie in the common draft era to record a passer rating of 100 or more in consecutive starts.

DeVito's 6.7 touchdown percentage is the second-highest in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts this season, trailing only San Francisco's Brock Purdy (6.9 percent). The 25-year-old was voted the Rookie of the Week for his performance against the Commanders in Week 11, a game in which he completed 69.2 percent of his passes for 246 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 137.7 passer rating (the highest of any undrafted rookie in the common draft era).

"He's played well," said Daboll. "He's made good decisions, he's thrown the ball where he's supposed to throw the ball, he's been accurate with the ball. He had two good games, we won both games and he played well."

"I wasn't surprised but at the same time, I didn't know what was going to happen," DeVito said about the decision. "I was told during the week, the bye week, that there was a decision that was going to be made and as soon as it was made that I would be made aware, and I was. I'm happy about it but at the same time, it's still a job. You still have to go out and perform and do everything. It's not like you're at the top now, which is completely far from but just going to try to go out but just going to go out and try to get better every day and try to earn the respect of my teammates and my coaches and try to do that every play."

ALL-TIME SERIES

The New York Giants host the Green Bay Packers in a Monday Night Football matchup in MetLife Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC.

Monday's game marks the 56th regular-season meeting between the Giants and Packers and the second consecutive year that they have met. Last season, the teams faced off on Oct. 9 in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, where the Giants defeated the Packers, 27-22. The Packers hold a 29-24-2 advantage in the regular-season series, which is separated by 19 points (Packers 999, Giants 980). The series is tied in MetLife Stadium, 2-2.

This is the Giants' fifth primetime and second Monday night game of the season. Their five primetime matchups is their highest total since they played five in 2016.

This is the second time in the 54-year history of Monday Night Football that the Giants have hosted two Monday night games in the same season. In 2020, the Giants hosted Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay on Monday nights.

View photos of the Giants on the practice field ahead of the Week 14 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

INJURY REPORT

Giants

Questionable: DL Dexter Lawrence (hamstring), DL A'Shawn Robinson (hamstring), S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (ankle), TE Daniel Bellinger (illness), WR Parris Campbell (knee)

Out: T Evan Neal (ankle)

Packers

Questionable: RB Aaron Jones (knee), S Darnell Savage (chest), CB Eric Stokes (hamstring)

Doubtful: LB Quay Walker (shoulder)

Out: CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder), WR Christian Watson (hamstring)

GIANTS 'REJUVENATED' FOLLOWING THE BYE

The Giants returned to the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Monday following their Week 13 bye. It was the latest the Giants have had their bye week since 2001, when they were also off in Week 13. With 12 games down, the team returned to the facility rested and ready for the last few weeks of the season which consists of five consecutive games against NFC opponents.

Not only did the time off allow the players some time off to rest, but it also allowed the coaches some time to examine the playbook and make adjustments for the final month of the season. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka told the media Friday how useful the time off was for the coaching staff to prepare for the final stretch.

"That time during the bye week is invaluable for the staff, for the players to number one to get kind of rejuvenated just with some off time, but also to kind of go back and look at some of the things that we can improve on and we did that with not just the quarterback position but every position in our unit as a group, how we can improve in the run game, the pass game, all those kind of areas," said Kafka. "We dug down deep as a staff and looked at a bunch of cutups, whether it was ourselves, around the league, what teams are doing, and how we can improve."

GET SAQUON GOING

The Giants won their last two games prior to the bye week despite limited production in the run game. In the wins over the Patriots and Commanders, the Giants ran for a combined 149 yards, which snapped a streak of five consecutive games with 105 or more yards on the ground. But the offense has a great opportunity to get the ground game back on track in Week 14 against the Packers.

Saquon Barkley is coming off his lowest volume game of the season. Barkley carried the ball just 12 times for 46 yards (3.8 avg.) against the Patriots while catching one pass for six yards. Both the 13 touches and 52 yards from scrimmage were Barkley's lowest of 2023. However, since returning from an ankle injury that sidelined him for three weeks, the talented running back has reached 98+ yards from scrimmage in five of seven games, including four games with over 110 yards. Additionally, from Weeks 9 through 11, Barkley averaged over 5.0 yards per carry in every game.

The Packers defense has played well as of late, holding the Chiefs, Lions and Chargers offenses to an average of just 20.3 points per game. This has helped them rise to ninth in the NFL in points allowed on the season. But one area the unit has struggled in lately is the run game. The Packers have allowed each of their last four opponents to rush for at least 140 yards while surrendering an average of 160.8 yards on the ground over that span. Going up against the 30th ranked run defense, Barkley has an opportunity to get his strong season going again on Monday.

CAN KAYVON KEEP ROLLING?

One of the biggest bright spots for the Giants through the first 12 weeks of the season was the play of Kayvon Thibodeaux. The second-year outside linebacker racked up 11 sacks prior to the bye, which shattered his rookie mark of four sacks in 14 games. Thibodeaux picked up at least a half-sack in seven games this year, and has four outings with more than one sack. He currently ranks ninth in the NFL in sacks.

While Thibodeaux leads the team, Dexter Lawrence ranks second with four sacks. However, his impact in the pass rush goes beyond the traditional box score. Lawrence has racked up 53 total pressures on just 333 pass-rushing snaps across 11 games this season, which ranks second among interior defensive linemen, according to Pro Football Focus. His 20 percent pass-rush win rate is also the second-highest, which has led to Lawrence being PFF's highest-ranked player at the position.

Lawrence missed the Week 12 matchup against the Patriots due to a hamstring injury. The 26-year-old lineman was not on the practice field to start the week, but he was listed as a limited participant on Thursday and Friday. Daboll expressed hope that Lawrence will be able to suit up on Monday.

"He's getting better," Daboll said on Tuesday. "Hopefully we'll have him out here soon. 'Soon' might be this week."

Green Bay has done a good job of protecting Jordan Love this season. Love has been sacked just 24 times on the year, which is the seventh-fewest in the NFL. However, his numbers see a noticeable drop when pressured. When given time in the pocket, Love has completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 17 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 94.9 passer rating. But when faced with pressure, he has completed only 45.3 percent of his passes for two touchdowns, two interceptions and a 65.7 passer rating.

HYATT 'FEELING CONFIDENT WITH HIMSELF'

Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt is coming off the best game of his rookie season. The 22-year-old wideout set new season-highs with six targets, five receptions and 109 receiving yards. Hyatt had receptions of 22, 29 and 41 yards against the Patriots, the team's three longest plays of the day, as he became the first Giants receiver with at least three receptions of 20 or more yards since 2021. This led to him being named the Rookie of the Week.

Hyatt's 330 receiving yards on the season ranks third on the team, while his seven receptions of 20 or more yards trails Darius Slayton by one. Meanwhile, Hyatt's three receptions of 40 or more yards is tied for the fifth-most in the NFL. Kafka praised the rookie for his growth throughout his first year in the NFL.

"I think he's done a nice job as he's building out throughout this season," said Kafka. "I think each week is a little bit different in the game plan and how it kind of formulates based on the defenses we're playing, but I think it will continue to grow. I think he's feeling confident with himself, confident with the offense and you can see that as well."

SAQUON TALKS MAN OF THE YEAR HONOR

Earlier this week, running back and team captain Saquon Barkley was named the Giants' nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is the league's most prestigious honor and acknowledges NFL players who excel on the field and demonstrate a passion for creating a lasting positive impact beyond the game in their communities.

All 32 club nominees will wear a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal through the end of the season. The winner will be announced during NFL Honors, a primetime awards special, on Thursday, February 8. Barkley, who was also the Giants' nominee last year, will look to join Eli Manning (2016) as the only Giants players to win the award.

Each of this year's nominees will receive up to a $55,000 donation, and the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award winner will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice.

"It's an honor," Barkley said Friday. "One of 32 men in the NFL to get nominated for that award, it's truly a blessing. Being a running back, being a fan of the history of the game, learning about Walter Payton, knowing his legacy on the field and off the field, and getting to spend time with some of the Payton family last year because I was nominated. Like I said, it's truly an honor and it's a good thing.

"It's a good thing to be – you want to win that award but it's a hard award to win because it's 31 other guys doing just as good as your doing. When you've got 32 guys, and even more, doing spectacular things in the community, it's not a bad thing."

WINK: PACKERS HAVE 'A LOT OF TALENT'

The Packers have scored 27, 29 and 23 points, respectively, over their last three contests, while topping 375 total yards of offense in each of their last five outings. During the win streak, quarterback Jordan Love has completed 68.5 percent of his passes (74 of 108) for 857 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions with a passer rating over 105 in each outing. Green Bay is also the only team in the NFL with three wide receivers with five or more touchdown catches (Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Christian Watson).

Coaching has also played a significant role in their recent success. The Packers come into this matchup with an impressive 16-0 record in the month of December under head coach Matt LaFleur. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale was complimentary of the Green Bay offense ahead of Monday's game.

"With Green Bay, Matt has done an outstanding job with his offense, and you can really see it's catered around the quarterback and it's Matt's personality of his offense, which is in the family of San Francisco with (49ers Head Coach) Kyle Shanahan and the Dolphins with (Head Coach Mike) McDaniel and (Rams Head Coach Sean) McVay in LA, and it's definitely a tough out," Martindale said. "The receivers, that's a deep room. The running backs, a deep room. When I say deep room, they have a lot of talent – maybe the deepest rooms in the league. Those young guys are really playing well. They've got some good football players over there. I think (Packers Offensive Line Coach) Luke Butkus has this offensive line playing really well together. So, it's going to be a great challenge for us."

Speaking of Reed, the rookie wide receiver has also made a big impact on special teams for the Packers. The 5-foot-11 rookie has returned nine punts for 87 yards on the season, good for an average of 9.7 yards per return. Special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said the coverage unit is aware of the talent the rookie has as a returner and will keep a close eye on him come Monday.

"Jayden's talented, a talented kid," McGaughey told reporters Friday. "We worked him out, I worked him out this spring at Michigan State and he's a very talented kid. He has a lot of ability, he can stick his foot in the ground, he can make people miss and he has really good straight-line speed. We've got to do a good job – I was showing the guys tape of him today, we've got to do a really good job of just taking care of our business and being where we're supposed to be as far as leveraging the ball and keeping it inside."

SCOUTING THE PACKERS DEFENSE

Linebacker Rashan Gary is enjoying a breakout campaign. Gary has registered a team-high nine sacks, 17 quarterback hits and six tackles for loss along with two forced fumbles and a pass breakup in 12 games (eight starts). Fellow linebacker Preston Smith has recorded 5.5 sacks on the year, while defensive lineman Kenny Clark has 4.5. Gary, Smith and Clark have been Green Bay's most productive pass rushers in 2023.

The Packers got two key defenders back for last week's win over the Chiefs. Safety Darnell Savage made his return after missing the previous five games with a calf injury. Additionally, linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, who missed Week 12 with a neck injury, returned to the lineup.

Green Bay defeated Kansas City without top cornerback Jaire Alexander, who has been out since Week 9 with a shoulder injury. When healthy, Alexander has proven to be one of the top corners in the NFL. The two-time All-Pro cornerback was a limited participant in every practice last week, indicating he might be closing in on a return to action this week.

The Packers defense has allowed their opponents to score a touchdown on just 20 of 41 trips (48.8 percent) inside the red zone, good for the eighth-best mark in the league. The defense also ranks fourth in passing touchdowns and 10th in passing yards surrendered.

View rare photos of the history between the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers.

24_GiantsApp_GenericPromo_1920x1080

Giants App

Download the Giants' official app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices

Advertising