Janoris Jenkins swallowed some pride but still felt plenty hungry for redemption.

The Giants’ top cornerback prefers to shadow an opponent’s best wide receiver no matter where he goes on the field — it’s a badge of honor, really — but last week Jenkins remained on the left side of the defense no matter how the Washington Redskins lined up before the snap.

It was a change designed to help rookie cornerback DeAndre Baker, but it was Jenkins who thrived.

“It’s something we adjusted to make sure everybody is lined up faster," Jenkins told NJ Advance Media, “and I think it helps. Anything to help the defense and make everybody comfortable.”

Jenkins had two interceptions and forced a third by deflecting a pass to teammate Ryan Connelly. He won NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors, just one week after he was torched for 180 yards and three touchdowns by Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Mike Evans.

Next up is the Minnesota Vikings, who arrive at MetLife Stadium at 1 p.m. Sunday with the second-worst-ranked passing offense in the NFL but two 1,000-yard-caliber receivers eager to break out in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs.

“It’s all about knowing what comes with the position, knowing you are going to win some matchups and you are going to lose some, and preparing yourself the same way each and every week," Jenkins said.

“I can’t even tell you (if I could’ve rebounded the same way as a rookie), but I’m happy I’m able to do it now that I’m more veteran and understand it’s all about how you respond. Baker kept his head focused on what he has to do.”

Jenkins’ willingness to change how he plays saved Baker from the hot seat. After allowing 11 catches for 272 yards in the first two games, the first cornerback taken in the 2019 NFL Draft allowed three for 35 in the last two games combined.

“When you are a college corner, you go stand out there, there’s no huddle and a (receiver) comes to you,” said Giants defensive backs coach Everett Withers, a former college head coach. "All of a sudden he is playing in a game where we are traveling ‘Jack’ (Jenkins), and he’s got to know where ‘Jack’ is and run on the other side of the field.

“In college, you never see guys chase motion. They always stay on their side of the field. He had never done any of that. A little bit of what he did at Georgia really didn’t carry over here. Now he has to learn technique and understand, ‘When I’m the inside corner, when I’m the outside corner.’ It’s taken a little bit of time, but I have seen a tremendous amount of improvement.”

The biggest change for Baker — who allowed one touchdown pass in three years playing press man-to-man coverage in the SEC — is scouting multiple receivers throughout the week rather than honing in on a specific matchup.

“Instead of just studying one guy, you have to be ready for all the different receivers,” Baker said. “It’s the same assignments, same tendencies, but they run their routes different because it’s different types of guys. Some might be tall, some might be fast. I’m just making my plays and getting more accustomed now."

Because Thielen mostly plays in the slot, the bigger question is whether the Giants will have Jenkins shadow Diggs or allow matchups to be decided by side of the field.

“They are playmakers," Jenkins said. "With the ball in their hand, they are dangerous. We have to rely on everybody swarming to the ball.”

What happens in the future when the Giants face other clear-cut No. 1 receivers like Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals or Davante Adams of the Green Bay Packers?

“I don’t know," Jenkins said. "We’ll play within the defense, whatever scheme we’ve got and go to work.”

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The tighter coverage allowed the Giants pass rush to get in the backfield, with eight quarterback hits, including three sacks. Or was it that the pass rush sped up the throws for the coverage?

“I think it gave us an opportunity for guys to get comfortable on one side of the field,” Withers said. “Not saying we couldn’t go back and match 'Rabbit or whoever to a particular receiver, but it did give us an opportunity coverage-wise where communication was able to happen immediately. That probably was the biggest reason that helped us a lot.”

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.