JPP thinks he can be the difference against Drew Brees this year

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Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is but one man. But he thinks he can make a big difference when it comes to playing the Saints and quarterback Drew Brees this week.

A year ago, Brees was never pressured, and threw for 505 yards and seven touchdowns in a 52-49 win.

“I wasn’t here last year,” Pierre-Paul said, via Howie Kussoy of the New York Post. “It’s a big difference.”

That game was the week before Pierre-Paul returned from the fireworks injury that cost him his index finger and more. Of course, he’s not the only thing changed since then, after the Giants spent a couple hundred million to fix a defense that needed plenty of work on infrastructure.

They were 29th in the league in sacks last year, and while they didn’t get one last week against the Cowboys, there was consistent pressure from their front four, which is good to see.

“I thought they did a good job in the run game and then later on as we got a feel for what the quarterback could and couldn’t do, I thought we started to get to him a little bit,” defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. “To us, it’s not as much whether you’re getting sacks or not, it’s whether you’re affecting the quarterback.

“Affecting the quarterback is the most important thing. I did think we did that better as the game went on, throwing off his back foot, getting him off the spot, not letting him sit back and be comfortable.”

They never did that to Brees last year, giving him plenty of time to sit back, enjoy a sandwich, take a little nap before throwing another touchdown. But Pierre-Paul hopes his return to a remade line will be enough to change that, and the fortunes of the Giants season.

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