PLAYER NOTES
–WR Odell Beckham Jr. (quad) remains unable to practice due to his ailment, but head coach Pat Shurmur said that Beckham is also continuing to make progress as he recovers from his quad injury. Shurmur also reiterated that there are no plans to shut Beckham down for the rest of the season.
–WR Russell Shepard (ankle) didn’t practice Wednesday and doesn’t look as though he’ll be a go for this Sunday. Shepard was seen in a walking boot
–C Spencer Pulley (calf) didn’t practice Wednesday. Pulley injured his calf in Sunday’s loss and looked to have a heavy limp after the game. If he can’t go, then John Greco will likely get the start with rookie Evan Brown, who has been inactive all season, being activated for the first time this year.
–LB Alec Ogletree (concussion) didn’t practice Wednesday as he was placed in the league’s protocol. His status for Sunday is uncertain.
–S Michael Thomas was excused from practice Wednesday to attend to a personal issue. Head coach Pat Shurmur didn’t elaborate as to how long Thomas would be away from the team tending to his personal matter, but it’s not believed that Thomas will miss Sunday’s game.
–DE Kerry Wynn (thumb) was limited in Wednesday’s practice.
–WR Cody Latimer was activated off the injured reserve list. Latimer, who had been sidelined with a hamstring strain, provides added insurance at receiver with Odell Beckham Jr (quad) ailing. Latimer also provides the Giants with another option at returner.
–CB Antonio Hamilton (quad) was placed on season-ending injured reserve. Hamilton had been a key member of the Giants special teams, so his loss will be a big one for that unit.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: TE Evan Engram. With Odell Beckham Jr. unlikely to play in this weekend’s game, the opportunities are expected to continue increasing for Engram. Last week, Engram was the most frequently targeted receiver with 12 pass targets (he caught eight for 75 yards). Engram has been slowly getting back into the swing since missing a couple of games with a hamstring strain, but he figures to continue to play a prominent role in the offense especially with Beckham on the shelf.
GAME PLAN: The Giants were without Odell Beckham Jr. last week and might have been able to overcome the fact that none of their other receivers managed to separate from defenders except for one little thing. They couldn’t get running back Saquon Barkley uncorked.
The Giants will get a do-over this week against a Colts defense that is very similar to what the Titans ran in terms of movement. Last week, the Titans confused the Giants blockers, sending guys from angles that the offensive linemen weren’t expecting to create confusion. This week, the Giants have been more scrutinizing what the Colts did last week against the Cowboys, whose star runner Zeke Elliott’s 87 rushing yards on 17 carries were predominantly harmless.
To get Barkley uncorked, the Giants, who last week sent their rookie straight ahead into the teeth of the defense, are likely to try some misdirections and off-tackle runs to take advantage of getting Barkley into space. If they can get that aspect of their offense going and avoid having to lean on quarterback Eli Manning to win the game for them, they might just have a chance of emerging victorious.
Defensively, the Giants cannot allow a repeat of last week when they were flat out beaten to a pulp in the trenches, this by a Titans offensive line that was banged up and missing Jack Conklin. This week they’ll face a healthy and surging Colts offensive line that has been dominating in this second-half surge and that has made its living running a zone blocking scheme. Colts top rusher Marlon Mack has enjoyed most of his success rushing up the gut where the Colts offensive line has been masterful in blowing defenders out of the hole.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
–Giants LT Nate Solder vs. Colts OLB Darius Leonard. Leonard is just a rookie, but he’s already playing like a seasoned veteran capable of being a disruptive force no matter where he lines up. Leonard currently leads the NFL in tackles with 146 and has the most tackles by any rookie through 13 games in NFL history. Leonard is also second among rookies with 7.0 sacks and has four forced fumbles, one interception and seven passes defensed. With Leonard admitting to having been stung by his Pro Bowl snub, he’s looking to take out his anger on Solder, who will draw the assignment of putting his hat on Leonard to keep him out of the backfield.
–Giants interior OL vs. Colts DL Denico Autry. Autry is another pesky defender who is so versatile, that it’s hard to anticipate where he’s going to line up on any given play. In his first season with the Colts after spending the first four with the Raiders, Autry is well on his way to logging a career high in total tackles; he needs just two more to do so and he’s had a breakout year with a career-high 9.0 sacks and two forced fumbles, the forced fumbles the first of his career. Because of his versatility, the Giants interior offensive linemen — guards Will Hernandez and Jamon Brown and projected starting center John Greco — will have their hands full as Autry has 32 total pressures per Pro Football Focus.