Three Players Looking to Make an Impact on Sunday for the New York Giants
The New York Giants open up their season on Sunday, September 8th at home against the Minnesota Vikings. In a 2022 playoff rematch, both teams look to get off to a step in the right direction by putting a W in the win column. After the Giants’ abysmal performance in their home opener against the Dallas Cowboys with a 40-0 loss in 2023, the Giants look to give the home crowd something to cheer for. They have made plenty of roster changes to sure up the holes and challenges the roster may have faced. Here are three players looking to make an impact in the Giants opener this Sunday.
1. Brian Burns
After the Vikings averaged just under 350 yards per game last season, the Giants defense will need to get off on the right foot to reduce that number. After JJ McCarthy went down with a torn meniscus, the Vikings will now turn to veteran quarterback Sam Darnold. Darnold hasn’t looked all that great in his short career with just over 12,000 yards in 56 games started throughout his career. The Giants’ pass rush will look to get to him early as he is a turnover machine with 56 interceptions in the same amount of starts. Burns hopes to be a great complement alongside Kayvon Thibodeaux and looks to cause havoc in that Minnesota backfield and make his presence known.
2. Devin Singletary
The most notable departure for the Giants and one of the most notable all-around football was Saquon Barkley leaving for the Eagles. It was a huge question mark on whether that void would be addressed through the draft or through a trade or signing. The Giants went out and signed Singletary to a three-year 16.5 million dollar contract. Singletary now has a true number-one role in New York after having split backfield roles in Buffalo and Houston and hopes to exceed the 1000-yard role for the first time in his sixth season in the NFL. The Vikings allowed just under 100 yards per game to running backs last season, so do not be surprised if Singletary exceeds this role, especially with the revamped offensive line.
3. Malik Nabers
This past draft class of the 2024 NFL Draft has had a lot of hype leading into this season upon who will replicate production from their college days. Nabers will look to do so in his first game, hoping to solidify his role as the true number-one wide receiver for the New York Giants. Daniel Jones hasn’t had a true number one in his career after Kenny Golladay was a huge flook experiment and hopes to use his new weapon. Nabers will be up for the test, going against a high-line cornerback in Stephon Gilmore. I expect Gilmore to shadow Nabers all over the field, so it should be a true test of strength and speed to see how Nabers will perform against one of the best at his position and a true leader in his debut.
