Logan Ryan, Giants not used to playing big game with no fans in stands
Ravens wide receiver Devin Duvernay is tackled by Giants free safety Logan Ryan during the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday in Baltimore. Credit: Getty Images/Patrick Smith
Big games are nothing new for the Giants players and coaches. Whether it came in the form of state championships or college bowls or even the NFL postseason or Super Bowl, almost all of them have participated at least once in a game with elevated stakes like Sunday’s contest against the Cowboys will bring.
They know what it looks like and what it feels like. But what it will sound like?
"It’s going to be new for me," safety Logan Ryan said on Wednesday. "It’s going to be quieter than any playoff game or any big game I ever played in. It’s going to be pretty much silent like how it’s been all year."
That’s because there won’t be any fans at MetLife Stadium. Normally when the Cowboys come to town the building is at its most electric. When that happens and a possible postseason ticket is on the line the energy is even higher. On Sunday, the juice will have to come from the players themselves.
The game may be scheduled for 2021, but it will be a reminder that this is still very much part of the 2020 season. Even 17 weeks into it, the deafening silence of empty stadiums because of pandemic regulations can be jarring.
The team that loses on Sunday will have its season end. The team that wins can make the playoffs if Philadelphia beats Washington on Sunday night, but even a victory on Sunday could mean elimination in the hours that follow. There will be a lot at stake for both teams.
"The intensity is going to be there," Ryan promised.
Even if the fans are not.
Notes & quotes: TE Evan Engram (ankle) was limited on Wednesday along with WR Sterling Shepard (ribs) and S Jabrill Peppers (ankle) … FB Eli Penny, who missed last Sunday’s game with a non-COVID illness, did not practice on Wednesday because of that same illness. WR Golden Tate (calf) did not practice either … LB Kyler Fackrell remains on injured reserve but has been designated to return and could do so in time for Sunday’s game. The Giants also designated DB Madre Harper to return from injured reserve.
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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