JPP: I’ll play & Giants need fear factor back

Jason Pierre-Paul missed his second straight practice on Thursday with a sprained shoulder, but the Giants defensive end said it will not keep him out of Sunday’s game against the winless Chargers.

“Of course I’m playing Sunday. No question,” Pierre-Paul said.

It is exactly what the Giants and their fans want to hear as the possibility of playing without both defensive ends — Olivier Vernon (ankle) also did not practice this week — would be an enormous blow to their defense.

However, head coach Ben McAdoo was not willing to go as far as Pierre-Paul, saying “it’s too early to tell” on whether or not he will play on Sunday while Vernon did not offer much on his status, only saying his main concern is “trying to get healthy.”

The Giants need both of them, especially after struggling to get much of a pass rush against Jameis Winston in the fourth quarter of last week’s 25-23 loss to the Bucs.

The defense has struggled the last two weeks and Pierre-Paul, who admitted he played poorly, said they have lost their intimidation factor.

“I don’t think other teams when they play the New York Giants, I don’t think they fear us,” he said. “What we put on film is what we put on film and the only way to change that is going out and winning the game.”

Defensive tackle Damon (Snacks) Harrison agreed.

“Why should they?” Harrison asked. “They’ve been able to run the ball with some consistency and until we stop the run I don’t think anybody will fear us.”

The Giants have allowed 142.8 rushing yards per game, the fifth-most this season.

But their problems extend beyond simply stopping the run. They continue to struggle with tackling, have a knack for allowing explosive plays and in two consecutive weeks they were spotted a fourth quarter lead but failed to hold it.

The issues are unexpected for a team that has returned almost their entire personnel from such a successful season last year, but defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has faith they can turn things around quickly after allowing the players to run the film review meeting this week.

“The important thing wasn’t what I saw or what I was willing to do,” Spagnuolo said. “It was what they saw and what they were willing to do. The only way I knew whether we were on the same page or not was to let them run it and hear what they said.”

Spagnuolo called the meeting a success, saying that they are all on the same page and the players agreed.

“Guys know what they did wrong,” PierrePaul said. “I think at this point we just need to come out and execute and win a game.”

ROTTEN APPLE

Eli Apple may be battling a sophomore slump, but it has certainly not deterred his confidence.

The second-year corner has become a target through the first four weeks of the season, as Apple has been directly responsible for allowing at least three touchdowns along with some costly penalties. It was evident again last Sunday when Apple was placed on Buccaneers top threat Mike Evans in the first quarter after sitting out the first series.

Evans had yet to have a catch in the game but with Apple on him, Winston immediately found Evans for a 12-yard gain. Two plays later, Winston tossed a 6-yard fade to the back corner of the end zone as Evans snatched the ball with ease.

“Being left out on an island like that you have to understand that you’ve got to know the tendencies of somebody like Mike Evans,” Apple said. “The likelihood of him running a slant in that situation is slim, so you should expect a fade.

“That’s on me, awareness-wise . ... I just decided to press when I should’ve just sat back and gone on top and then look back . ... So, it’s just a learning thing.”