Don't tell Jason Pierre-Paul that the New York Giants have been in this 'must-win' situation before and succeeded so they should feel like they will do it again. He doesn't want to hear it.
"I don’t want to hear that. To me, that’s all bull crap. I mean, yeah we’ve done it before, but this is a whole other year. This year is a totally different year. We don’t have the same guys on the team as last year," Pierre-Paul said on Wednesday. "Right now, we can do it for now and that’s what we have to do. I’ve been here before, I can say that, but we’re in the same position we were in last year. You don’t know what the outcome will be. We have to go out this Sunday and play our hearts out and hopefully the next weekend, the game after that against the Eagles, and get in the playoffs. Each game right now is a must-win game for us. We put that on ourselves, and that’s a consequence of it. We have to go out there and play them."
Pierre-Paul, a third-year defensive end, pulled no punches when asked what to expect from the inconsistent Giants Sunday when they travel to M&T Bank Stadium to face the Baltimore Ravens.
"You don’t know what you’re going to get from us. We’re not consistent until somebody’s going to get fired or our backs are against the wall or it’s either all or nothing. It’s where we’re at right now. It’s either all or nothing, and we’ll be packing our stuff to get out of here early, and I ain’t trying to go home early. I want to make that run, at least get in the playoffs," Pierre-Paul said.
"I know one thing for a fact, I feel like we’re one of the best teams in the NFL. Week after week, we come out on top, then we fall back down, come back up top, go on a losing streak, then come back on top again. This week our backs are against the wall. We’re starting the playoffs early. This is a playoff game for us. We have to win, otherwise we’re out. The guys know and I know it and I’m getting ready to give it my best shot and do all I can. We’ll see."
The question that has to be answered is whether or not Pierre-Paul's teammates feel the urgency and desperation to reach the playoffs that it is apparent he does. I guess we will find out on Sunday.