Realistic expectations for the 2020 NY Giants defense
Now, here is where things get tricky, as the NY Giants defensive unit fared far worse in 2019 than the offense does and has far more work to do to get into the respectability realm.
Before I touch on all the specifics of where the unit needs to improve in a realistic sense, the biggest goal for the defense should be to unearth a bonafide star, a difference-maker that makes offenses worry — something we don’t have at the moment.
I truly think Xavier McKinney can be that guy.
Even though some lamented Dave Gettleman didn’t go with a pass rusher with that high second-round pick, I think he made the right move as it was a weak pass-rushing class and Xavier McKinney has a chance to be the special type of playmaker we’ve been looking for on defense.
McKinney isn’t the only player on defense that could turn out to be that superstar playmaker that we so direly need, but the options are few past.
Surely, Dexter Lawrence could be that guy if he ups his pass-rushing abilities, James Bradberry could also be that guy if he continues to improve, and as much as I hate to say it, even Leonard Williams could turn out to be that guy if he ever figures out a way to harness all his untapped potential.
Now, onto the numbers and what improvements we should be looking for on a realistic (tired of that word yet?) level.
There’s no way to sugar coat it, the 2019 NY Giants defense was an abomination.
The unit ranked 30th in points allowed and 25th in total yards allowed, earning their distinction as one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
To me, just getting into that 18th-22nd range would be enough improvement to really celebrate and inspire confidence for the future.
One way the Big blue ‘D’ could help themselves in accomplishing that is getting more turnovers, where they ranked a lowly 25th in the NFL in 2019. Again, getting into that 18th-22nd range would be enough improvement to justify confidence, and in conjunction with lowering the turnovers on offense could really be the main catalyst to the team improving as a whole.
Where the 2019 NY Giants defense really struggled was against the pass. The unit was 28th in the league in pass yards allowed, so just getting down to the 20th ranked range would be huge. They also allowed the 25th most passing touchdowns in the NFL, so improving on that mark to that same range would progress.
Now, the one place the 2019 NY Giants defense did do well in was in, the rushing defense department. At first glance, it’s deceiving as the unit allowed the 20th most rushing yards in the league.
However, that had more to do with being behind in games and teams running the football at will at the end of games to run clock and complete their win.
The unit ranked an elite 4th in yards-per-attempt allowed which is a much better indicator of where a rush defense stands.
So, in other words, not much improvement needs to – or can be – made there. The NY Giants’ proven strong rushing defense should also, in turn, help out it’s (formerly) struggling pass defense.
To wrap this all up, I offer a ‘woosah’ (calm down) to NY Giants nation, and just head into the 2020 season looking for improvements across the board in the win column and team statistics, which will hopefully lead to our ultimate goal of playing in meaningful games into the winter for the first time in a long time.