EAST RUTHERFORD − Kayvon Thibodeaux was not about to let the biggest individual milestone of his NFL career to this point pass without offering thanks to two players he believed helped him get there on that day.
Just before halftime of Sunday’s 31-19 victory over the Commanders, Thibodeaux talked smack with Washington left tackle Charles Leno, thanking him for playing a role in getting him to double digits in sacks.
At the time, Thibodeaux was only at 9.5 for the season.
He did make good on that promise, picking up his second sack of the game in the fourth quarter, becoming the first player to reach double digits in Wink Martindale’s tenure as defensive coordinator spanning stops in Baltimore and now with Big Blue; and yes, the one that pushed Thibodeaux over the top came against Leno.
But in the hours that followed the Giants’ triumph, snapping a three-game losing streak, Thibodeaux refused to let the moment pass (or celebrate it) without showing his appreciation for a teammate – All-Pro defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence – who he tagged and thanked in a post on his Instagram account.
“When you have great players alongside of you, it’s only right that you raise your level of play to theirs,” Thibodeaux told NorthJersey.com recently, speaking of Lawrence’s impact directly. “Dex has been playing great and he’s going to continue to play great and I want to continue to match him, so that we can be a great front and a great defense.”
Thibodeaux’s 14.5 sacks in his first 25 games are the most by a Giants player since individual sacks became an individual stat in 1982. Jason Pierre-Paul had 14.0 over his first 25 games.
His evolution and growth continue to show up, and the player he has become is plenty closer to the one the Giants believed he would eventually be when general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll used the first draft pick of their regime in April 2022 on Thibodeaux, fifth overall.
And that development has been on display for much of this season, and even the harshest critics of the 22-year-old outside linebacker can’t argue with the results.
“I’m glad we have Kayvon,” Daboll said of Thibodeaux, who turns 23 next month. “He’s a true competitor, great teammate, productive player for us and I’m happy he’s on our team.”
Thibodeaux has acknowledged that personal motivation can help spur team production as the Giants continue to search for players to spark them and lift the franchise out of its latest rut. He is not shy about admitting he has looked at the list of NFL sack leaders. There’s a sense of pride to see his name there, but not without humbly taking note of the elite company he is suddenly keeping.
Kayvon Thibodeaux among NFL’s sack leaders
Browns star Myles Garrett leads the league with 13, one spot ahead of Danielle Hunter of the Vikings. T.J. Watt of the Steelers is at 11.5 and the Chargers’ Khalil Mack is fourth with 11. Then, it’s Thibodeaux and the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby tied at 10.5.
Only Pro Football Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor (20.5 in 1986) and Michael Strahan (22.5 in 2001, 18.5 in 2003) have led the league in sacks as Giants since the sacks became an official stat in 1982.
“I definitely have looked, I’ll be honest,” Thibodeaux said with a laugh last month. “Because now you are chasing something. Sometimes when your team is not in the best position, you start to look at, like, what can I use to motivate me or what motivation can you bring to the defense or the guys around me, and it’s playing good football. As a defense, we’ve been able to do some great things and now, although things haven’t been able to go as well for the season right now, you keep your motivation by continuing to reap the benefits of how good your guys are playing. Just playing together and trying to keep it going.”
Thibodeaux’s transition to the NFL was challenging, and plenty of naysayers have knocked his play. The Giants have put a lot on Thibodeaux’s plate, from snap count to assignment, and he has shown a willingness to be coached.
This was his fourth game with more than one sack this season, and Thibodeaux added three quarterback hits and a pass breakup. He finished the game with five total tackles (three solo). He dominated his matchup against Leno. According to Next Gen Stats, Thibodeaux had a season-high eight pressures with those two sacks on 33 one-on-ones. He also had his quickest get-off speed in a game this season (0.68 seconds) with five of his eight pressures coming in under 2.5 seconds.
He is just the third player over the last six seasons to have at more than 10 sacks over the first 11 weeks of the season within their first two years in the NFL, joining Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons and Watt.
“It’s the first time I’ve had double-digit sacks in the NFL. It’s a blessing,” he said. “I just have to keep working. You work your whole life to be in the NFL. You work every day to get sacks, that’s why they drafted me. So being able to deliver for this team and get a win gives me no better feeling.”
In praising Thibodeaux’s commitment to improve and develop, Giants outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins told a story last summer he believed revealed a hunger to get better. He was out at a comedy club with his wife and turned his cell phone off, but there were numerous texts from Thibodeaux waiting when the show ended.
Thibodeaux was seeking coaching from Wilkins, who recalled with a laugh: “It was a Saturday night in the spring. He was studying [the playbook].”
Thibodeaux has acknowledged he would love to earn Pro Bowl recognition, but said his preference would be to have team success to match any individual accolades. The Giants return home to MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon against the New England Patriots (2-8), who are coming off their bye week.
Bill Belichick cut his teeth as a defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells during the era of Giants football that produced the franchise’s first two Super Bowl champions. And Belichick is never short on praise for those defenses he coached, not to mention the great players that became legends for Big Blue.
The Giants believe Thibodeaux is just getting started.
“There is no ceiling on him,” Martindale said, “and how good he can be.”