Possible First-Round Giants Playoff Opponents

Victor Cruz – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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POSSIBLE FIRST-ROUND GIANTS PLAYOFF OPPONENTS…
As the 5th seed in the NFC, the New York Giants will play one of the following teams in the first-round of the playoffs:

• Seattle Seahawks: The Giants play at Seattle if the Seahawks lose to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, regardless of whatever else happens.

• Green Bay Packers: The Giants play at Green Bay with a Green Bay win or tie AND a Seattle win or tie.

• Detroit Lions: The Giants play at Detroit with a Detroit win AND an Atlanta win or tie AND a Seattle win.

• Atlanta Falcons: The Giants play at Atlanta with an Atlanta loss AND a Seattle win AND a Detroit win.

JASON PIERRE-PAUL MIGHT RETURN SOON?…
ESPN.com is reporting that defensive end Jason Pierre Paul, who had surgery to repair a sports hernia and his groin (core muscle) earlier this month, might return for the January 7th or 8th playoff game. There appears to be more confidence that he would be ready for the next playoff game if the Giants were fortunate enough to get past the first round. Pierre-Paul injured his groin in the team’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 4th.

PRACTICE SQUAD TRANSACTIONS…
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed running back Russell Hansbrough off of the New York Giants Practice Squad. Safety Christian Bryant was also signed off of the Practice Squad by the Arizona Cardinals. The Giants signed quarterback Keith Wenning, running back Jacob Huesman, and safety Ryan Murphy to the Practice Squad.

The Giants signed Hansbrough to the Practice Squad in December 2016. Hansbrough was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Buccaneers after the 2016 NFL Draft. Hansbrough spent time on both Tampa Bay’s Practice Squad and 53-man roster before being cut in late November.

Bryant was signed to the Practice Squad in late November. Bryant was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. The Rams waived him in September 2016. He then spent time on both the Practice Squad and active roster of the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals waived him in November. Bryant has played in 11 regular-season games with no starts.

Wenning was originally drafted in the 6th round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. He has spent time with both the Ravens (2014-2015) and Cincinnati Bengals (2015). Wenning has decent size and a good arm with a quick release. He is not terribly mobile. Wenning is smart, hard-working, and tough.

Huesman is a former quarterback who the Giants are converting to running back. He was not drafted in 2016, and not signed after the draft despite working out for the Steelers and Titans. Huesman had a brief stint with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL. He has good size for a running back and was productive in college running with the football as a quarterback.

Murphy was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks waived him in their final round of cuts in September 2015. He spent time on the Practice Squad of the Denver Broncos in both 2015 and 2016. Murphy has a nice combination of size and athletic ability.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

• RB Rashad Jennings (Video)
• WR Sterling Shepard (Video)
• WR Victor Cruz (Video)
• LG Justin Pugh (Video)

ARTICLES…

• How ‘fearless’ McAdoo has Giants owner boldly thinking Super Bowl by Steve Serby of The New York Post
• Steve Spagnuolo: The Man With Four Aces Up His Sleeve by Jenny Vrentas of SI.com
• Eli Manning wants only one thing — another run at the Super Bowl by Steve Serby of The New York Post
• Why Eli Manning has to start Sunday against the Redskins by Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants return to practice on Wednesday to prepare for Sunday’s game against the Washington Redskins.