New York Giants rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux has been on the verge of breaking out big time in recent weeks.
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft entered Sunday night’s game against the Washington Commanders with 10 quarterback hits and two sacks in 11 games after returning from an injury that cost him the early stages of his rookie campaign.
He almost literally matched this total within the first 17 minutes of Sunday huge divisional matchup with Washington. That included the Oregon product sacking Taylor Heinicke and returning it for a touchdown to give New York a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter.
What an absolutely ridiculous pass-rush move on Commanders left tackle Charles Leno. The athleticism stood out in a big way, too.
What a tremendous start it was for Kayvon Thibodeaux. The dude had racked up seven tackles, three tackles for loss, one QB hit, one sack and a touchdown within the Commanders’ first 16 plays on offense. Just insane.
New York and Washington both sit at 7-5-1 on the season and are in playoff positioning. The winner of this game will pretty much guarantee themselves a playoff spot. For at least one quarter and change, Thibodeaux was the difference-maker.