TO THE TEST
RD Fournette will challenge new-look defense
After spending months installing and practicing their new defense, the Giants will waste no time getting to see how it holds up. Leonard Fournette is knocking. The Giants will get an immediate gut check in Sunday’s season opener when Fournette — who carried the Jaguars’ top-ranked rushing offense last year all the way to the AFC Championship — comes to MetLife Stadium.
“Everything is new on this team, so being able to go against a team that went deep in the playoffs last year is a great measuring stick for us Week 1,” linebacker Kareem Martin said. “We don’t have to wait till Week 7 or Week 8 to get a playoff opponent. We get to come right out with them, and I love that challenge.”
As the Giants hope to begin a turnaround season sparked by their rookie running back in Saquon Barkley, all they have to do is look across the field to see how it works. The Jaguars had a dominant defense to help them get within one game of the Super Bowl, but Fournette proved to be a game-changer as well.
The 6-foot, 228-pound back, who was the No. 4 pick out of LSU in 2017, combines size and speed into a punishing running style that can be a handful for opposing defenses. “He’s a great back,” Martin said. “He’s really powerful, he gets downhill. He’s one of those guys you want to stop before he gets his full head of steam. He makes a lot of guys miss. We’re going to have to gang tackle him. … If we can control that running game, I love our chances.” Fournette rushed for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns last year while also proving to be a threat in the passing game. As a team, the Jaguars led the NFL with 141.4 rushing yards per game. The Giants will try to limit Fournette’s explosiveness and make the Jaguars beat them with Blake Bortles. The enigmatic quarterback will be without his favorite target from last year, Marqise Lee, who is out for the season with a knee injury. “Their offense basically goes through [Fournette],” linebacker and defensive captain Alec Ogletree said. “They’re going to pride themselves on running the ball. It’s a big challenge for us to go against them and hopefully stop the run.”
Bortles has faced the Giants only once in his career, as a rookie in 2014, when the Jaguars pulled out a 25-24 win at MetLife Stadium. He completed 21-of-35 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown while taking five carries for 68 yards and getting sacked seven times.
But having Fournette at his side seemed to help Bortles last year, as did a strong offensive line.
“Their biggest secret is they have an outstanding offensive line,” defensive line coach Gary Emanuel said. “They’re really big, and they have a very, very good tandem of backs led by Fournette. Their offensive line is what makes it tick. Their average is like 6-5, 320 pounds, which is a good size. They have a back who is almost as big as the offensive linemen, but he runs a 10.6 [100-yd dash] or whatever he runs in the 100.”
The Giants were gashed for the second-most yards in the NFL last year, but have been itching to prove they can bounce back this fall under defensive coordinator James Bettcher’s new scheme. The Jaguars will tell them how far they have come.
“It’s a great test,” cornerback Eli Apple said. “It’s something I’m glad we have in front of us, and it’s going to let us know what kind of team we are really early.”