D’Juan Hines (Browns W 17-16 over Broncos) - Played 16 snaps on Special Teams
Case Keenum (Broncos L 17-16 to Browns) - 31/48 for 257 yards 0 TD 2 INT, 2 sacks, 2 rushes for 1 yard, 60.8 Passer Rating
Cam Malveaux (Cardinals L 40-14 to Falcons) - 2 tackles in 11 snaps on defense and 7 on special teams
William Jackson III (Bengals W 30-16 over Raiders) - 2 tackles and a pass defensed on 58 snaps
Brandon Wilson (Bengals W 30-16 over Raiders) - 2 tackles on 12 snaps on defense and 22 on special teams
Matthew Adams (Colts W 23-0 over Cowboys) - 1 tackle on 15 snaps on defense and 10 snaps on special teams
DJ Hayden (Jaguars L 16-13 to Redskins) - Led team with 7 tackles on 48 snaps on defense and 4 snaps on special teams
Tyus Bowser (Ravnes W 20-12 over Buccaneers) - No stats on 4 snaps on defense and 14 snaps on special teams
Elandon Roberts (Patriots L 17-10 to Steelers) - 1 tackle on 8 snaps on defense (he was added to injury report late in the week which may have been why he didn’t see much action)
Coaches
Thomas McGaughey (Giants L 17-0 to Titans) - Rough day for the Giants, but the special teams wasn’t too bad. No opportunities for the kicker, punter punted 6 times for a 39.5 YPP average and 2 inside the 20, 3 punt returns for 2 yards, and 4 kickoff returns for a 22.8 average.
Chad O’Shea (Patriots L 17-10 to Steelers) - NE WRs had 13 catches on 19 targets for 197 yards and a TD. Patriots were only 1 of 3 in the red zone with 1 FG to show for their efforts.
Wade Phillips (Rams L 30-23 to Eagles) - Rams defense gave up 381 yards, tallied 0 sacks, hit the QB 3 times, and did make 1 interception
Another rookie who has taken significant steps toward a larger defensive role is linebacker Matthew Adams. The Colts will more often use a nickel package and have only two linebackers on the field. They typically pair Leonard with Anthony Walker. On occasion, though, Matt Eberflus will bring a third linebacker to help hold the edge against the run or to help collapse the pocket. Adams has been filling that role frequently and saw the field on 22% of the defensive snaps. He gathered his 19th tackle of the season.
Rosas is the first Giants kicker to be elected to the Pro Bowl as a starter since Josh Brown back in 2015, and is in the midst of the best season of his career.
Through Week 15, Rosas has made 28-of-29 field goal attempts, including a franchise record 59-yarder against the Chicago Bears. He’s also made 25-of-26 extra point tries.
“He just focuses on where the ball is, put the ball down, let me kick it,” Giants special teams coach Thomas McGaughey said of Rosas recently. “Just lock into that moment, stay in the moment. Once that one is gone, it’s gone, and on to the next one. I think he’s had some success with that. I think moving forward, it’ll be a formula he’ll stick with, and look forward to really good things from him.”
In addition to the players, first-year Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey has done an excellent job leading this group. McGaughey’s Carolina Panthers special teams unit finished No. 7 overall in Football Outsiders’ DVOA ratings for all 32 special teams units during the 2017 season. The Panthers also finished with the No. 10 overall special teams rating in Rick Gosselin’s annual and extensive special teams rankings that can be found here. In those same rankings, the Giants ranked No. 32 overall during the 2017 season with the worst unit overall in several categories including extra point percentage, most opponents blocked kicks, fewest punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line, among others.
Football Outsiders’ DVOA assigned the Giants with the dead last special teams unit in 2017 – they ranked No. 32 overall. They have gone from No. 32 overall to No. 3 overall in special teams DVOA in just one season.
THEORY NO. 5: Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips isn’t doing his job
FACT CHECK: FALSE
This is reactionary and kind of ridiculous. Phillips has been in the NFL since 1976 and his scheme is tested and successful. The idea that Phillips somehow has forgotten how to coach defense, or that his attack is ill-suited for modern football, is laughable. The players just aren’t getting it done.
The Rams just aren’t sitting back, doing the same things on defense. In recent week, they’ve played zone more often than man to man, likely because Phillips realized that his secondary – and primarily cornerback Marcus Peters – is more suited to a zone defense. Also, the Rams’ defense hasn’t been that bad. They’ve allowed 61 points in their last three games, and the Rams’ offense has been turnover-prone.