New York Giants: Five Players Who Stepped Up vs Chicago Bears
By Nick Ziegler
Olivier Vernon
One of the biggest signings of the offseason by the Giants was Olivier Vernon. After a few seasons of becoming a great pass-rusher with the Miami Dolphins, the Giants brought Vernon in to do the same for them. The Giants defense struggled a lot in 2015, and upgrading the defensive front was a priority of theirs this offseason.
Against the Bears, Vernon was a contributor to an impressive Giants pass-rush in the second half. After sacking Jay Cutler on Sunday, Vernon has now totaled a sack in three straight games for the Giants. After recording just one sack in the seven games, Vernon has been playing excellent the past three weeks.
In addition to creating pressure on the quarterback, Vernon also made a huge tackle for loss on Bears running back Jordan Howard. While getting to the quarterback is important, it is also key for a defensive end to stay in their gaps on running plays.
The Giants defense as a whole has been playing much better lately, and the great play from Vernon has contributed to that. If Vernon keeps it up, he will be earning every penny of the big contract that he signed in the offseason.