THE AMERICA ONE NEWS
Jun 6, 2025  |  
0
 | Remer,MN
Sponsor:  QWIKET 
Sponsor:  QWIKET 
Sponsor:  QWIKET: Elevate your fantasy game! Interactive Sports Knowledge.
Sponsor:  QWIKET: Elevate your fantasy game! Interactive Sports Knowledge and Reasoning Support for Fantasy Sports and Betting Enthusiasts.
back  
topic
NY Post
New York Post
29 Sep 2023


NextImg:Kayvon Thibodeaux has more than just sacks on his mind

It took Kayvon Thibodeaux four games to get his first sack last year, after sitting out the first two weeks with a strained knee, and he finished his rookie season with just four sacks after being drafted fifth overall by the Giants in the 2022 draft.

Perhaps his sack against the 49ers in the loss last Thursday will spark more production from the defensive end.

He’s hoping it does.

“I think the first one is big,’’ Thibodeaux said after practice Thursday. “It helps take the pressure off you and you can go out there and play. But for me, there’s still the pressure of playing well in the run game and playing well in the pass, dropping back in coverage and doing the things I can to contribute to a team win.”

All that is fine, but the Giants were no doubt looking for an improvement on the week prior against the Cardinals, when Thibodeaux didn’t even assist on a tackle, let alone get a sack.

He finished the game with one hit on the quarterback.

Kayvon Thibodeaux sacks Brock Purdy during the first quarter.
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“It’s always good to have an impact,’’ Thibodeaux, 22, said of the sack against San Francisco. “When you have an impact statistically, everybody notices what you did. But … I try to contribute in totality and not focus on just one thing.”

Thibodeaux has so far not come close to matching the early comparisons to Dallas’ Micah Parsons, selected by the Cowboys with the 12th overall pick in 2021, who has become arguably the most feared defensive player in the league.

Parsons had 13 sacks as a rookie, 13.5 a year ago and already has four in the first three games of this season.

    The two play different roles on different defenses, and Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said this month linking Thibodeaux to Parsons was “unfair.”

    Regardless of how Thibodeaux is used, though, the Giants can’t afford to have games when he barely appears on a stat sheet — and Thibodeaux knows that.

    But he also doesn’t believe they measure everything.

    “That’s the thing: There are so many different ways to make a difference when it comes to rushing the passer,’’ Thibodeaux said. “I’m just about, ‘What am I doing to help the team win,’ and ‘Are you getting the wins [as a team]?’ I’m more focused on wins and getting better than anything individual.”

    This year, just like with sacks, wins have been hard to come by for Thibodeaux and the Giants.