Safety Jabrill Peppers was a fixture on defense for the Giants in 2020 and he finished the season playing 84 percent of the defensive snaps despite missing one game.
Peppers did not see the same kind of playing time in Week One of the 2021 season. Peppers only played 30 of the team’s 66 defensive snaps in their 27-13 loss to the Broncos and the change in his role was a main topic of conversation when he spoke to reporters on Tuesday.
Peppers said “it’s different” playing a limited role on defense and “you could say that” when he was asked if it was hard for him to feel like himself when he’s not on the field more often. He also said he didn’t know what head coach Joe Judge has planned for him on Thursday night.
“That’s week-to-week. That’s something you’ve got to talk to Joe about,” Peppers said in his press conference.
The Giants defense was expected to be a strength for the team as they sorted out their offensive issues. The unit was not up to par in Week One and falling short on Thursday could leave the Giants with 0-2 record for the fifth straight year. They missed the playoffs in the last four seasons and confidence that streak will end won’t be high with a loss in Washington.