Giants vs. Buccaneers: 5 Things We Learned

Nov 8, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (90) and defensive end Damontre Moore (98) congratulate each other as they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

1. Jason Pierre-Paul Will Make An Impact

After all the drama, confusion, and just overall strangeness the Jason Pierre-Paul situation has generated over the past several months, it was very nice to see him on the field again. He played much more than I myself and I think most anticipated (approximately three quarters of the Giants’ defensive snaps). While he didn’t light up the stat sheet (2 tackles), he was consistently making noise in the backfield and to be frank, it finally looked like the Giants had a pass rusher on the field. He almost got to Winston a few times on Sunday, and I expect him to bring down a quarterback in the backfield pretty soon, maybe even Tom Brady next weekend…

The play that worried me, however, was Charles Sims’ 59-yard run. The Bucs attacked JPP and he couldn’t shed a block from tight end Brandon Myers, allowing Sims roamed free. It looked like Pierre-Paul had a tough time with his hand on that play, or it could have been he was feeling a little tired that late in the game. The blame doesn’t solely fall on Pierre-Paul, but he did not make a particularly good play on the big gain. I’m curious to see if his hand will become an issue as he tries to shed blocks to defend runs going forward.

Still, it was an encouraging overall debut for Pierre-Paul. The Giants are counting on him, and I think they have good reason to after what he showed in Week 9.

Next: Pass Rush Is Still An Issue