10 things to watch on Monday Night Football

We're only seven games into the season, but the fact that the Giants are taking Dru Phillips in the third round of this year's draft already seems like a steal. The slot cornerback had another strong performance in last week's loss to the Eagles. Phillips registered two tackles for a loss and allowed just one reception, resulting in minus-two yards in coverage despite facing DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown for most of the game.

Phillips had success in coverage throughout the season. The 22-year-old left the Week 3 win against the Browns early and missed the following week against the Cowboys. In his 5+ games, the slot corner has surrendered just 11 balls for 46 yards on 114 coverage snaps, with the highest yardage total he has given up in a game this season being 14 yards. This has helped him post a 76.0 passer rating while landing at No. 4 in PFF's rankings of this year's top rookies.

Phillips isn't the only rookie defensive back to have a strong start to his NFL career. Seven games into the season, Tyler Nubin leads the Giants with 48 total tackles, the most of any rookie in the league. He also added two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The rookie safety has recorded nine total tackles in each of the last three games, leading the team in each of those games, while his eight total tackles in Week 4 tied for the team lead.

Nubin has been on the field for 254 coverage snaps so far this season, and according to PFF, the 23-year-old has only received 10 balls for 88 yards in the seven games. He allowed just one reception for five yards in last week's loss to the Eagles. While his coverage was good, his tackling was even better, as Nubin only missed 4.2 percent of his tackle attempts. This has helped him join Phillips and Nabers on PFF's ranking of the league's top 15 rookies.

Malik Nabers returned to the field last Sunday. The rookie wide receiver finished the game with four receptions for 41 yards, both of which were the worst of his young NFL career. However, Nabers was on the field for 93 percent of the team's offensive shots, an encouraging sign after the 21-year-old missed the last two games due to a concussion. Overall, his 2.25 yards per route this year ranks 13th^Th among qualified wide receivers.

“We just have to stay the course and communicate,” Nabers said Friday about the offense. “Like I said, stay off third downs, get explosive and help our defense hold them down. Our defense did a great job. So when we get back on the field, we have to give our defense a break. We have to stay on the field a little longer instead of going out in groups of three.

Nabers will likely see a lot of Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. on Monday night. It's been an up-and-down season for the second-year cornerback, as he's hauled in 17 receptions for 218 yards and a touchdown so far this season, according to Pro Football Focus. However, in the matchup against the Jets last week, Porter did a great job against Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams. According to Next Gen Stats, Porter was targeted as the nearest defender three times in 40 coverage snaps and allowed just one reception for nine yards.

“They have a pretty good defense,” the rookie wideout said. “You have TJ Watt on the outside, he’s going to wreak havoc. They have some good curves, long curves. They have a good guy in the second line at the top, safety. They have a lot of people on their defense.”

Nabers added: “They create good turnovers. They hit the ball out well. They are very energetic. They fly around.”

Coach Brian Daboll told the media on Thursday that the coaching staff will use the entire week of practice before making a final decision on the starting offensive line for Monday night. However, he did mention that Josh Ezeudu would get his first practice reps at left tackle. So for this article, let's assume that the Giants will use the same starting linebacker as last week, which would make Jermaine Eluemunor a key player to keep an eye on.

Entering Week 8, the veteran tackle was credited with just one sack allowed this season. Eluemunor has been on the field for every offensive snap this year, totaling 474 offensive snaps and 304 pass-blocking snaps, both of which rank second in the league among offensive tackles. The 29-year-old missed training on Friday and Saturday with a hip injury and although Daboll said he was “hopeful” Eluemunor can play, his situation needs to be kept under review. He is listed as questionable on the final injury report, but if he is on the field Monday night, Eluemunor would face his toughest test yet.

When at right tackle, Eluemunor will essentially be facing All-Pro edge rusher TJ Watt the entire game, as the former Defensive Player of the Year plays almost exclusively at right tackle. Watt has 4.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hits with three forced fumbles this season. The 30-year-old led the NFL in sacks in three different seasons, including last year when he collected 19.5 sacks.

“You look at his tape and all the turnovers he has and the style he plays with,” coach Brian Daboll said of Watt. “I mean, he’s one of the best players in the league. He creates problems in the running game. He creates problems in the passing game. He hits balls downfield. He jumps up and catches balls that you never thought you could be intercepted. He is a dynamic football player. He is a problem.

*Malik Nabers needs a catch in Week 8 to become the third player in the Super Bowl era to catch more than 40 balls in his first six career games. He would join Puka Nacua (50 receptions, 2023) and Saquon Barkley (40 receptions, 2018).

*Pittsburgh's .679 winning percentage on Monday Night Football is the highest in the NFL (minimum 50 games).

*Wan'Dale Robinson is one of five players with five or more catches in six or more games this season. Robinson has had five or more catches in eight of his last nine games and is seeking his sixth straight game with at least five catches.

*Brian Burns has had a sack in four of his last five games, while Azeez Ojulari has had at least one sack in consecutive games and three total in the last two weeks.

*Tyler Nubin leads all rookies in total tackles.