Is the New York Giants Pass Rush Awakening?
By Adam Ganeles
Credit: Jim O’Brien/USA Today
Over the past three weeks against Philadelphia, Chicago and Minnesota, the Giants defensive front has shown signs of life. There are no crooked numbers in the sack column to support this claim of “invigoration”, but at least opposing quarterbacks are beginning to feel a presence on the opposite side of the line. Baby steps, folks. A deeper look at the divide in the Giants pass rush efficacy is somewhat revealing.
In week one at Dallas, the Giants got heat on Romo to the tune of three sacks, seven hits and 12 quarterback hurries. Romo completed 74% of his passes, but the rush limited him to 5.4 yards per attempt. Between weeks 2-4, the impact of the defensive line was MISSING IN ACTION:
Week |
PPR Pass Rush Rating
Sacks
Hits
QB Hurries
2 vs. Denver
-9.2
0
2
4
3 at Carolina
-4.8
1
1
5
4 at Kansas City
-1.1
0
3
*19*
Total
AVG -5.0
1
6
28
Between weeks 5-7, the Giants ‘vaunted’ pass rush began to find its legs:
Week |
PPR Pass Rush Rating
Sacks
Hits
QB Hurries
5 vs. Philadelphia
-0.6
3
6
13
6 at Chicago
2.4
0
3
15
7 vs. Minnesota
1.9
1
12
21
Total
AVG +1.2
4
21
49
The sack total remains a far, far cry from where it needs to be, but overall pressure is on the rise: +15 hits, +21 hurries when comparing the last three contests to the prior three. Individual efforts from this past week: Justin Tuck had six hurries versus Minnesota and recorded his first full sack of the season (and first partial sack since week one). Jason Pierre-Paul registered two hits on Josh Freeman and four QB hurries. Shaun Rogers hit Freeman four times from his tackle position, doubling his prior season total of two.
OK, maybe I’m reaching. After all, the Giants last opponent sported a diminished offensive line and a new signal caller. But when a team goes sack-less in three games (and records just a single sack in two others) what else is there to do but grasp at straws? With the Giants, you never quite know when things will click or for how long. The hope, the only hope, is legitimate invigoration along the defensive line. These small victories in the trenches could eventually translate to meaningful victories in the NFC East.
*Pass rush premium statistics courtesy of ProFootballFocus.com*