All the same ingredients that led to the worst game of Evan Neal’s football career could combine again Sunday to form the perfect measuring stick for his progress.
Under the MetLife Stadium lights, against the Cowboys, in a nationally televised matchup with DeMarcus Lawrence, Neal allowed five quarterback pressures and three sacks in the third game of his rookie season with the Giants.
Year 2 for Neal begins with that same prime-time matchup against a longtime Giants nemesis.
“I’ve never had a performance like that,” Neal told The Post after Tuesday’s practice. “I’m not going to get mad because I put the tape on and see myself struggle. You want to be able to learn from your mistakes. I’m actually grateful I was able to experience that, and now I’m able to go back to it.”
Neal didn’t get a rematch against the Cowboys as a rookie because he was sidelined by a knee injury.
Just as he has regularly since his days taunting Eli Manning, Lawrence dominated the right side of the Giants’ offensive line on Thanksgiving by matching his Week 3 total with seven pressures — a number he surpassed only once in 15 other games on his way to the Pro Bowl.
“Right out the jump it’s a divisional opponent, so that’s always good,” Neal said. “I’m excited to get another shot at those guys. I feel like I showed how far I came in a bunch of other games [late] last year — not just DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons. That just so happened to be my roughest game last year, but I’m just going to focus on executing the game plan and helping my team win.”
Head coach Brian Daboll, who praised Parsons as “one of the best” in the league, didn’t want to shortchange Lawrence for his impact in the Cowboys’ sweep of the Giants.
Word out of Dallas is that Lawrence is coming off his most “destructive” training camp in years.
“He’s a dynamic player, too” Daboll said. “Obviously, was very productive — particularly in that first game — but he’s been a good player in this league for a long time. Knows how to play the position, got a ton of respect for him and how he goes about his business.”
Neal’s development — not just against Lawrence but throughout the season — is one of the biggest X factors for the Giants.
“I don’t get mad because it was me,” Neal said. “I was the one out there playing and responsible for my performance. That’s a year ago.”
Neal has no time for excuse-making about last September when he is studying Lawrence’s “jump chop” — a move when he targets a tackle’s outside hand to swim over with his inside hand.
“I’ve got tricks myself,” Neal said. “Whatever those guys roll out, I’m going to be prepared for it. We put a lot of good work in as an offensive line unit, and I’m excited to go showcase it.”
It is foolish to just assume that Neal — who was ranked as the No. 80 offensive tackle last season by Pro Football Focus — will take a big step forward just because fellow top-10 pick and SEC alum Andrew Thomas did after his rookie struggles.
For every Thomas, there is an Ereck Flowers — the top-10 pick in 2015 who never put it all together, was cut by the Giants early in his fourth season and now is out of the NFL.
But quarterback Daniel Jones said Neal had “a great camp.”
Neal is confident that — even after missing a week of camp with a concussion — he is set up for success after training with former All-Pro tackle Willie Anderson.
“I feel like I finished camp strong,” Neal said. “I definitely can see the improvement in myself from where I was last year at this point. It’s a testament to all the hard work I did this offseason, the research, and the different people I got in touch with who I appreciate.”
If Neal lives up to his draft status, the Giants have the makings of a dominant offensive line with Thomas on the other side.
“He’s improved,” Daboll said. “Now, we will go out there and play against a really good defensive front, and he’s going to have to trust his techniques and fundamentals and communicate with the offensive line. But he’s done a good job really the whole offseason.”
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