Through two games, there haven't been many bright spots in the Giants' defense.
But no matter how badly those around him performed, it's hard to overlook Jrue Phillips.
Outside of star forward Dexter Lawrence, the rookie cornerback has been perhaps the most impressive piece of the Giants defense through two games.
“Coming in as a rookie, guys know what I'm doing and they expect me to go out there and make plays,” Phillips told The Post after the Giants' practice on Friday. “I'm just trying to go out there and do my job, because I know all through camp that if I make a mistake, guys are looking at me, so I'm just trying to make sure I don't screw up and do what I need to do.”
The Giants selected Phillips in the third round out of the University of Kentucky, and he was expected to win the starting nickel cornerback spot coming out of training camp and the preseason.
But surprisingly, he did not start in the 28-6 loss to the Vikings in Week 1 and only played 29 percent of the snaps on defense.
However, he made the most of his limited playing time, with four total tackles and a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.
By week two, Phillips was the starter.
He played 92 percent of the defensive snaps in a 21-18 loss to the Commanders, but his special teams workload dropped from 46 percent of the snaps to 29 percent.
Phillips had a dominant performance, recording one sack, 12 total tackles, two tackles for loss and one quarterback hit.
Phillips has received an overall grade of 77.5 from Pro Football Focus, the eighth-highest rating among all NFL cornerbacks.
“I'm really happy for Jrue,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said Thursday, “I think his toughness showed. He was productive. He was engaged. The more he plays, the better I think he's going to get.”
That toughness is what stands out most about Phillips' game.
Phillips excels in coverage, earning a PFF coverage grade of 80.0, but his tackling ability can be seen from the field, especially near the line of scrimmage.
And tackling has been an issue for the Giants through two weeks.
“He's a big guy,” second-year cornerback Deonte Banks, a first-round draft pick last year, told The Post on Friday. “His relentlessness is everywhere. Tackles for loss, sacks, tackles, he's everywhere.”
“He's got a really good motor. A really good motor.”
The Giants' secondary entered the season as one of the team's biggest question marks and has produced little to allay those concerns.
The more experienced defensive backs around Phillips have struggled, with Cordell Flott having a combined PFF grade of 55.4 and Banks 52.9.
At safety, rookie Tyler Nubin is at 62.3 and Jason Pinnock is at 44.3.
Young people are at the forefront.
“I still feel like a rookie in every way,” Phillips said. “Just like everybody else, I got my opportunity and I took advantage of it.”
