PITTSBURGH — No matter how many times he reviewed it, it always ended the same way.
The play was there to be made and Matthew Adams failed to make it.
“As a competitor you just keep watching it and keep letting it sting,” Adams told The Post.
Oh yes, it stung.
Adams, a 28-year old linebacker who made the Giants roster this season because of his prowess on special teams, got on the field last week for 31 snaps on special teams and only one snap on defense.
That lone snap came on the first play of the fourth quarter, with the Eagles leading 21-3.
It was third-and-7 from the Giants 34-yard line and Adams quite unexpectedly shot the gap and saw nothing but daylight in front of him.
He had a clear and unimpeded path to quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Adams raced in, got his arms around Hurts’ lower body but missed out on what should have been a sack.
Hurts wriggled free, scrambled 16 yards and ran out of bounds on the right sideline on the play that cornerback Deonte Banks showed a glaring lack of hustle in his non-pursuit of Hurts.
“It definitely comes down to balance,” Adams said. “He’s a good player, he’s a strong athletic player, he’s been making people miss, avoiding, it’s a hard sack. You’re coming in down the middle, coming full speed and he’s standing still, it just comes down to balance making that play.
“When I saw it open up I accelerated. It was just one of those you got to finish it. Definitely just wrapping up and understanding who the quarterback is, you know what I’m saying? Respecting him and understanding he’s a strong athlete so you got to tackle him like a running back, he’s not a quarterback.”
Adams has been in the NFL since 2018. It would have been his first sack.
“It’s just like adding fuel to the fire,” Adams said. “A lot of stuff wasn’t going right that day and it just added a little cherry on top.”
Here is another little cherry added to Adams’ non-play.
The Eagles were 1-for-13 on third down conversions, with Hurts’ escape and scramble the lone first down pickup. Hurts four plays later scored on a sneak to complete the Giants’ 28-3 loss.
Whoever lines up at left tackle for the Giants — Josh Ezeudu or Chris Hubbard — is going to have to deal with Alex Highsmith, who has 21.5 sacks the past two seasons.
Highsmith missed three games this season with a groin injury and returned to action in last week’s victory over the Jets.
Rookie WR Malik Nabers has 39 receptions in his first five NFL games.
With one catch vs. the Steelers, he will become the third player with at least 40 catches in his first six career games.
Puka Nacua (50 receptions in 2023) and Saquon Barkley (40 in 2018) did it as rookies.
