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Players to watch in Week 17 matchup

PLAYERS-TO-WATCH-WEEK-17

The Giants will take the field at MetLife Stadium for the final time on during the 2024 campaign this Sunday as they face off against the Indianapolis Colts.

Following a trip to Atlanta that finished in a defeat against the Falcons, the Giants will look to snap their losing in their final home game. Meanwhile, the Colts took on the Tennessee Titans at home and emerged with a 38-30 victory.

Here are five players to watch in the Week 17 matchup.

WR Wan'Dale Robinson

Wan'Dale Robinson is coming off one of his most productive outings of the season. The third-year wideout matched Nabers with seven receptions while finishing second on the team with 62 receiving yards. Both of these were Robinson's second-highest marks of the season, while his 12 targets marked the fifth time he's gotten double-digit targets this year. Over the previous three games, Robinson ranks second on the team with 32 targets.

Through the first 15 games of the season, Robinson has already set new career-highs in numerous categories, including targets (123), receptions (78), receiving yards (585) and receiving touchdowns (two). Thirty of his receptions have gone for first downs, which also set a new personal high. Robinson will face a tough challenge against the Colts this weekend, as he is likely to be matched up with slot cornerback Kenny Moore. Now in his eighth NFL season, Moore has put together yet another solid campaign. According to Pro Football Focus, he has not surrendered more than 23 receiving yards in any of his last four games. Moore registered two interceptions in Sunday's win over the Titans while allowing just three receptions for 21 yards on six targets, according to Next Gen Stats.

View photos of the Giants on the practice field at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

T Jermaine Eluemunor

The Giants' offensive line has gone through plenty of changes throughout the 2024 campaign, with various injuries causing some shuffling up front. Regardless of where he's lined up, offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor has provided stability to line. The veteran has played 13 games this season, as a quad injury forced him to miss Weeks 13 and 14. In the two games since he's returned to the lineup, Eluemunor has surrendered just one total pressure, although it did result in a sack.

Over his last three games, the one sack Eluemunor gave up against the Falcons is the only pressure he's credited with allowing, according to Pro Football Focus. In fact, he has given up one pressure or fewer in three of his last four full games, and six of 13 games on the season. He's done this despite shifting to left tackle after starting the first nine weeks on the right side. The Colts have some talented edge rushers in Kwity Paye (7.0 sacks), Laiatu Latu (4.0), and Dayo Odeyingbo (3.0). Eluemunor is likely to see some combination of these three pass rushers on Sunday, which should serve as another tough challenge for the veteran tackle.

OLB Brian Burns

Brian Burns did not register sack or pressure against the Falcons, according to PFF. This snapped a two-game streak with at least one sack and marked just the second time all season the veteran outside linebacker was held without a pressure. However, Burns was able to pick up a tackle for loss, which gives him four TFL over the last three games and 14 on the season.

Despite Sunday's relatively slow outing, along with the Giants' overall defensive struggles, Burns is still enjoying a solid season while dealing with various ailments throughout the year. His 52 total pressures on the year are the third-highest he's picked up in a season, as he has seven different games with five or more pressures. His eight sacks across 15 games matches his 2023 sack total over 16 games, and if he's able to pick up two more sacks, he'll reach double-digit sacks for just the second time in his career. As productive as he's been on the field, Burns has also earned praise from his coaches for his leadership, both on and off the field.

"I wouldn't say he's our most vocal leader, by any means. But I think he's really good at kind of grabbing guys one-on-one and being in guys' ears one-on-one and addressing things that way," defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. "We're young. We're young. And any veteran presence you can have when you're a young defense is helpful. Whether it's outside linebacker to defensive back, outside linebacker to inside linebacker or outside linebacker to defensive line, I think it's helpful. The thing I'm going to say about him is he's been dealing with stuff throughout the year and he goes out there and plays. There's Wednesdays and Thursdays where we're not so sure and then he's out there Sunday flying around and putting everything on the table."

ILB Darius Muasau

With Bobby Okereke sidelined for the third consecutive game, Darius Muasau once again saw extended action at inside linebacker. The rookie linebacker played 99 percent of the team's defensive snaps against the Falcons, one week after he played every defensive snap against the Ravens. It should not come as a surprise that Muasau had two of his highest-volume days in the last two outings with 17 total tackles, including one tackle for loss, during that span.

"He's doing a really good job for us," defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said about the rookie linebacker. "I think he's playing fast, him and Micah (McFadden) both playing fast in there, flying around, been disruptive. I think the front's been disruptive up front, allowing those guys to run around a little bit, to be a little bit clean, to go make plays. And he's physical, he's got some instincts. So, he's done a good job with the opportunities he's had, and hopefully that continues here in these last couple weeks."

With Okereke now on injured reserve and Micah McFadden dealing with a neck injury, the Giants are likely going to lean heavily on the rookie inside linebacker this weekend against the Colts. Muasau has 25 total tackles (12 solo) since seeing his playing time increase in Week 13, and he could be in for another big game on Sunday. During their Week 16 win over the Titans, the Colts rushed the ball a total of 50 times for 335 yards, good for an average of 6.7 yards per carry, and four touchdowns. Most of the production came from quarterback Anthony Richardson and running back Jonathan Taylor, who combined for 288 yards and all four scores on just 38 rush attempts (7.6-yard average).

CB Dru Phillips

After missing the previous two games due to a shoulder injury, cornerback Dru Phillips returned to game action in Atlanta. Phillips finished the game with four total tackles (three solo), including a tackle for loss, and forced his second fumble of the season. The rookie cornerback lined up primarily in the slot (51 of 65 defensive snaps) and allowed four receptions for just 23 yards in coverage.

Phillips has now surrendered 23 receiving yards or less in six of the 10 full games he's played, according to PFF. The analytics site has the 23-year-old inside their top-five best rookie cornerbacks in coverage this season, while Phillips' 20 defensive stops leads all rookie corners (PFF defines a defensive stop as a tackle that constitutes a "failure" for the offense). The rookie corner will likely be lined up in coverage against Josh Downs this Sunday, as Downs has played in the slot on nearly 85 percent of his snaps this year. This has led to 59 receptions for 687 yards and five touchdowns, all of which lead the Colts.

View photos of the all-time series between the New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts.

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