With his hand so heavily wrapped it looked like a bulky, grey mitten, Jason Pierre-Paul returned to the football field for the first time since a Fourth of July fireworks accident cost him a finger, parts of two others and the first half of the 2015 season.
The New York Giants pass rusher played 47 of 64 snaps, just over 73 percent of the team's defensive downs in a 32-18 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"This is my first game back," Pierre-Paul said, via ESPN.com. "I'm a little rusty in some areas. Need to go back and watch the film and see where I can get better and get ready for New England."
JPP earned two tackles and two quarterback hits as he returned to the worst pass-rushing unit in the NFL.
"I think I played good,'' Pierre-Paul said. "I got some errors I need to take care of. I'm not perfect.''
The defensive end said it took until the fourth quarter to really get comfortable. It was his pressure in the last stanza that the Giants needed.
"I think he made a couple of outstanding rushes," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "Particularly at the end."
The Giants desperately needed an injection of life to their limp pass rush. Sunday, they got a glimpse.
"I didn't really think about it," JPP said of how far he's come in a few short months. "I just know I'm happy I'm back out here, doing what I love. I've got a second opportunity."
Pierre-Paul got a second chance and the Giants got a pass rusher who could help keep them atop the NFC East for the duration of the season.
