5 NY Giants Players to Watch in Week 4 Matchup vs. Buffalo Bills
The New York Giants roll into Buffalo to visit old friend Rex Ryan’s Buffalo Bills Sunday to close out the first quarter of the 2015 NFL campaign.
Time certainly has been flying by, though to say that it’s been nothing but fun for the Giants would certainly be inaccurate. New York, who is coming off its first win on the new season last week, will be looking to keep the good times moving forward while distancing itself from the bad times that happened in the first two weeks of the season.
It will take a total team effort to get it done, but in particular, the following five players figure to have notable roles in Sunday’s matchup.
DE Owa Odighizuwa
1 of 5
This week, the Giants defense is going up against one of those two-way quarterbacks, a guy who in addition to being able to make a play with his arm can also make plays with his legs.
That quarterback is Tyrod Taylor, and if the Giants are to have any chance of containing the former Raven, they’re going to have to get after him.
Rookie Owa Odighizuwa, who is on track to make his 2015 NFL debut this season, could be a key component in getting after Taylor.
“The first thing [he gives us] is a set of fresh legs, because, really, when you watch him out at practice, there’s a difference,” said defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
“He hasn’t been out there, he’s well-rested, but we’re going to have to live with some growing pains. We can see that already in practice because he’s not up to speed with some of the things we’ve been doing since he’s been out.
"I think he’s a strong edge player, I think he can play tight ends well, so I hope that helps us in the run defense and certainly when we get to a throwing down, some of those third downs, I’m hopeful, we’re all hopeful, that he can bring something to the pass rush.”
Odighizuwa figures to have a significant role in trying to jump-start a sluggish Giants pass rush in which they have just 18 quarterback hits and three sacks thus far.
“I’m confident that if the coaches put me out there to get after the quarterback, I’m confident that I can get it done,” Odighizuwa said.
“Stats aren’t always the most telling thing, but at the end of the day, it’s what we want to do. We want to get after the quarterback, we want to get sacks, we want to get pressures, hits on the quarterback, and so if I’m fortunate enough to be in those situations, then I’m going to do everything I can to make those things happen.”
WR Rueben Randle
2 of 5
After two weeks in which receiver Rueben Randle caught four out of seven pass targets for 28 yards and zero touchdowns, he exploded in Week 3 by catching all seven pass targets for 116 yards and one touchdown.
“I think he had a good week of prep,” offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo said this week.
“He was dialed in; you could see that on the practice field for as many reps as we had out there. He was into the plan, he came out, and he didn’t press. He let the game come to him. The balls went his way, and he capitalized on them.”
Thanks in part to the thrashing New England gave Buffalo in Week 2, the Bills currently have the league’s 31st-ranked pass defense (one spot ahead of the Giants, ironically).
With Victor Cruz’s return on indefinite hold, the Giants are going to need Randle to have a strong follow-up if they are to keep the umbrella coverage away from Odell Beckham Jr.
TE Larry Donnell
3 of 5
It hasn’t been a very good season for tight end Larry Donnell, whose blocking has been inconsistent and whose pass-receiving skills have been even worse, at least based on last week’s showing when, per Pro Football Focus, he had two dropped passes.
Donnell, who missed most of the OTAs while battling Achilles tendinitis, will get another chance to redeem himself this week against a Bills defense that, according to Yahoo Fantasy Football rankings, has had trouble successfully defending opposing tight ends.
In reality though, subtract the Week 2 performance of New England’s Rob Gronkowski, who had seven receptions for 113 yards and one touchdown, and the Bills defense has otherwise limited the impact of the opposing tight ends faced thus far.
So what does this mean for Donnell?
While no one will mistake him for Gronk anytime soon, it won't be surprising if Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo borrows a few things from the Patriots' game plan in order to get the tight end more involved this weekend.
“They had a good plan,” McAdoo said of the Patriots.
“They took some shots down the field, and they did a good job executing in that game. I think they had about what, 10 third downs in the game. They were three for 10, but they did a nice job with their personnel groups.”
Just like McAdoo is hoping to do with his personnel groups against the Bills.
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LB Jon Beason
4 of 5
For the first time in over a year, middle linebacker Jon Beason was not, repeat, was not on the Giants' weekly injury report, a very good sign for the talented veteran who has been dealt one injury blow after another since the 2011 season.
With Beason having taken his full workload in practice and having come through it with zero setbacks to his ailing knee, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo hinted that the 30-year-old defensive captain is in line for an increase in snaps, which will come at the expense of first-year player Uani' Unga.
“The goal is to get Jon to 100 percent. He’s a good football player, and he’s our leader,” Spagnuolo said. “I love him in front of the huddle. You’re talking about a rookie ['Unga] versus a nine-year vet, so there’s some value there.”
The move would make sense, at least for this week. Beason is about as solid as they come against the run, and with the Bills having Tyrod Taylor and Karlos Williams as the staples of their running game, Beason’s skill set would appear to be a good fit for this week’s matchup.
The problem, though, is that other than in coverage, where 'Unga has allowed 16 of 21 pass targets to be completed for 181 yards and one touchdown while breaking up just two passes and picking off one, he has otherwise held his own in there, and he’s been sturdy.
That’s probably why Spagnuolo left himself a little wiggle room regarding the plan moving forward when he concluded his thought as follows: “But we will just play it by ear on the way. We’ll see how each week goes.”
C Weston Richburg
5 of 5
When your team is going against a Rex Ryan defense, you better make sure you do your homework and that you’re ready for anything.
That’s the approach that Giants center Weston Richburg, who will orchestrate the protection calls this week, is taking. In just his second season, but first as the starting center, Richburg left nothing to chance when it came to studying film this week.
“They’re very talented,” he said of the Bills defense. “They do a lot of weird things as well as have very talented players, so I think it will be very important for us to make sure where they’re going to line up and make sure how we can best block up their technique.”
The Bills enter this week’s game tied for 12th in the NFL in sacks (six). They’re also tied for first place against the run and are eighth in passing yards per attempt.
Richburg said that when he looks at the Bills defense on tape, he definitely sees similarities to what Ryan ran when he was with the Jets.
“Everyone has their own little deals. He did some pretty crazy stuff, so it’s something I kind of saw in a couple of preseason games with his Jets last year,” Richburg said.
“I knew there would be some different looks this week and there definitely are, so it will be important for me to get in the film room for sure.”
The Giants have allowed just three sacks against Eli Manning this season. Manning also has yet to throw an interception. But make no mistake about it: The Bills run a complex defense, and it will be up to Richburg to make sure he has done his homework this week.
Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.
Follow me on Twitter, @Patricia_Traina
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