The Giants face possible playoff elimination with a loss in Baltimore Sunday, so they’d probably like to have as many hands on deck as possible for that game.
Running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who missed the 34-0 loss to the Falcons with a sprained knee, said Monday that he plans on facing the Ravens and safety Kenny Phillips followed suit during a radio interview on Tuesday. Phillips missed six games before the bye with an injured MCL and has missed the last two after suffering a setback upon his return to the field, but said that it’s “now or never” for his return because of the situation the Giants find themselves in.
“I’m 100 percent confident that I’ll be on the field this week,” Phillips said on ESPN 98.7, via the Newark Star-Ledger. “Not sure on which role that the coaches want to allow me to play, but whatever they allow me to do, I’m going to go out there and give 100 percent and try to be that spark for our defense these last few weeks.”
The Giants have gotten good play from Antrel Rolle and Stevie Brown at safety this season, but their defense looked its best in recent weeks against the Packers when Phillips’ presence allowed them to play a lot of the three safety looks that they used to great success last season. If he’s healthy enough to put the teeth back into those looks, it would be a big boost for the Giants.
Phillips made several early week vows to return during his initial absence that wound up falling by the wayside, so it’s probably best to wait a while before assuming he’ll be there come kickoff on Sunday.