Lawrence ready for challenge of stopping Saquon Barkley
Dexter Lawrence did not practice Wednesday, listed with a hip injury. The New York Giants star defensive tackle left no doubt, however, about his status for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I’m playing,” he said in the locker room after practice.
Lawrence, second in the league with 7.0 sacks, said he was “just resting” on Wednesday.
Lawrence acknowledged the importance of the game with the Giants 2-4 and struggling to remain relevant in a wide open NFC East.
“The division is all pretty square. We’ve still got opportunities,” Lawrence said. “I feel confident we can beat anybody. I don’t think it’s just the Eagles. I don’t really play into the emotions. They all can change. I don’t really listen to those or pay attention to that. Our goal is to beat the Eagles. Whoever we play next week it’s going to be to beat that team and so on and so forth. So, that’s just the mindset.”
Saquon Barkley’s return
This will be Barkley’s return to MetLife Stadium, and Lawrence knows the challenge he presents.
“I know what kind of player he is and his mindset going into games. I’m excited to compete and just beat the Eagles,” Lawrence said.
“I think we’ve got to stop Saquon from getting going. We’ve got to clog the holes. We’ve got to get a lot of guys on him, a lot of bodies on him. He’s good at finding the second lane, third lane type of thing. We’ve got to stop his feet before he gets going because then he’s explosive. Elite (running) back. We’ve got to stop his feet. We’ve got to beat the guys in front of us on the offensive line and make sure Saquon doesn’t get started.”
Lawrence said he aims to “put my will on him a little bit.”
Lawrence said there is “no telling” how the fans in the stadium will greet Barkley.
“Honestly, I think he did a lot of good for this organization. But, we’ve got some tough fans and they’re going to bring him in however they feel is right by them,” Lawrence said. “I appreciate what he did for this organization and who he was as a teammate and a person to me, most importantly. But, Sunday is war and he knows that.”
