T.J. Watt may not have a recorded a sack in the last two weeks, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t impactful. His two forced fumbles against the Las Vegas Raiders were clutch, and he helped the defense smother Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets. This week, he has a chance to wreak havoc on the New York Giants and their suspect offensive line. Giants’ starting right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor will be assigned to try and stop Watt. He understands how difficult that could be.
“The thing with [Watt] is he can lull you to sleep, thinking that you have a couple good reps against him,” Eluemunor said Thursday via the team’s YouTube channel. “You’re like, ‘I’m locking his ass up.’ Then, out of nowhere, he hits you with that crazy ass move that you weren’t expecting. Then bang, he’s got a forced fumble, or bang, he has an interception. Bang, he has a strip sack.
“As a tackle, it’s your job to make sure that doesn’t happen and to keep him out of the game. It’s a hell of a task, but like I said, I’ve been comfortable all year, and that’s not gonna change anytime soon.”
Even though Eluemunor says he’s aware of the caliber of player Watt is, he doesn’t sound afraid of the challenge. That should make for a good matchup this week. The Giants’ offensive line allowed 8 sacks to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7. Quarterback Daniel Jones has been sacked 21 times this year, second-most in the NFL. Eluemunor may sound confident, but his unit is facing an uphill battle.
Part of the reason Eluemunor sounds so confident is likely due to his experience playing Watt and the Steelers. In 2017, he started his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He was a guard, not a tackle then, but he still got an up-close and personal view of Watt.
Eluemunor has also faced Watt in each of the past two seasons. As a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, he played against Watt twice. He won their first matchup, keeping Watt off the stat sheet. However, last year, Watt tore Eluemunor to pieces, recording 2 sacks and wrecking the game.
Despite that failure last year, Eluemunor is more excited than anything to play Watt again.
“I love going against T.J. Watt. He’s a hell of a player and he makes you better, but then also you have to be perfect against a guy like that. Because if you’re not, then he’s gonna embarrass you, especially on Monday Night Football.”
We’ll see if Eluemunor’s attitude changes on Monday. Watt hasn’t gone three straight games without a sack since 2018, his second year in the league. Therefore, if Eluemunor can keep him from bringing Jones down this week, then hats off to him.
It’s likely that Eluemunor won’t often be matched up alone against Watt, though. The Giants might be supremely confident in Eluemunor, but even then, not chipping or doubling a player like Watt seems foolish. That’s how teams have slowed him down slightly this year. The Giants would be wise to employ the same strategy.
This week marks round three between Watt and Eluemunor, and we’ll see who comes out victorious. When Eluemunor held Watt without a sack, the game was played on a frozen tundra. That won’t be a factor this week. Outside of those extreme conditions, Watt has pummeled Eluemunor, but he has a chance to get his revenge this week. He sounds confident he can make that a reality.
