Giants hope to capitalize on Eagles' depleted secondary
Sterling Shepard of the Giants runs the ball after a reception against the Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
There is usually some familiarity when it comes to division opponents, but when Sterling Shepard lines up against the Eagles on Sunday, he isn’t sure who will be trying to cover him.
“No idea,” the Giants receiver said.
That’s because the Eagles’ secondary has been ravaged by injuries. Given the state of their depth chart, safety Malcolm Jenkins may be the only player in the defensive backfield whom the Giants even recognize. Some of them will be fresh off the practice squad.
Shepard said he isn’t expecting a practice-squad effort, though.
“I try not to pay too much attention to other people being down,” he said. “This is the NFL at the end of the day. Guys aren’t playing in the league, I don’t care if you are a backup or whatever, if you can’t play the game.”
He also said that preparing for unknown, inexperienced players is a challenge because of the lack of film to study.
Ultimately, he said, it doesn’t really matter if it’s Jalen Mills or the backup to his backup who is out there.
“It’s football,” Shepard said. “You have to get out there and beat the man in front of you.”
Whoever that happens to be.
Notes & quotes: Saquon Barkley earned his first official accolade as a pro: NFC Offensive Player of the Week. He had 142 yards on 27 carries, both season highs, and scored three touchdowns. He became just the second Giants rookie to win such a weekly award (instituted in 1984); Jeremy Shockey was selected in Week 17 of the 2002 season . . . Pat Shurmur wasn’t buying the theory that Monday’s 54-51 game between the Rams and Chiefs represented a drastic change to the NFL. “There’s probably a lot of different ways you could go with that,” he said. But as an offensive coach, he did enjoy it. “Certainly scoring over 100 points a game, if that’s the way it works, that’s great,” he said. “Unless you coach the defense. Or if you’re the one that scores 51, not 54.” . . . DL Kerry Wynn (concussion) was the only Giant listed on the injury report Wednesday. He did not practice.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
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