On paper, the New York Giants boast one of the most talented pass-rushing rooms in the NFL. Between Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Brian Burns, that should be a trio that every offensive line has a hard time stopping, but that hasn't exactly been the case through two weeks of the season.
There was plenty of reason to believe replacing Shane Bowen with Dennard Wilson could unlock this defensive front, but there have still been some growing pains. In the 28-6 loss against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday the pass rush was stifled, strugglinstg to get home all night.
The Giants mustered just six pressures on reigning MVP Matthew Stafford. Six individual defenders logged more pressures than them, while seven others finished with the same amount. That cannot happen. And while Abdul Carter logged their lone sack of the game (and season), he's not worried about the lack of pass-rushing success.
"I'm not really much worried about that. I know we're going to get home and the sacks are going to home," Carter said. "It's a long season, it's Game 2, we just gotta keep focusing on one game at a time and we're gonna be better."
Abdul Carter isn’t ready to panic over the Giants’ pass rush
Rather than act like the sky is falling, the 22-year-old knows that New York has a talented group of guys off the edge that there’s enough talent in this group to believe the sacks will eventually come. He himself has taken a pretty big step forward in Year 2 thus far, and he probably understands that this was more of a matchup thing than anything else, with Stafford getting the ball out quickly as a seasoned vet does.
The biggest concern moving forward is Brian Burns’ health after he was injured late in the game. His absence might only amplify Big Blue's struggles. It's only a low ankle sprain, so he shouldn't be out for more than a game or two. They can't afford to lose him for much longer.
We're only two games in, so this defense has 15 more opportunities to turn things around. And given the way things change at the drop of a hat in this league, improvement doesn't feel so far-fetched.
Currently, the Giants are 22nd in the NFL in pass-rush win rate (per ESPN) and only the Miami Dolphins (who have no sacks this year) have less than them, but we also have to consider the quality of opponents they faced, as the Cowboys and Rams have two of the more talented offensive lines in football.
Their next three matchups are with the Cardinals, Titans, and Commanders--all of whom have some of the worst OLs in the NFL. So while the early goings have been tough, Abdul Carter is right to not lose this hope because despite what we saw against the Rams, the Giants' pass-rush will be eating pretty good soon.
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