The New York Giants have not had the best day after games so far, this early into the season. Last week, the Giants found out that quarterback Jaxson Dart would bed out for the season after suffering multiple ligaments in his knee. In that same game, the Giants seemingly lost edge rusher Brian Burns to a low ankle sprain. That's why it was a surprise when it was revealed he was going to be active for Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans.
Then, late in the fourth quarter, Burns went down with a non-contact knee injury, where he struggled to get to the sidelines. Whle head coach John Harbaugh expressed optimism about the severity of his injury, an MRI revealed that Burns suffered a torn ACL, so he is officially out for the season.
Losing two of your pivotal players on the roster in back to back weeks is brutal for any team to deal with. For the Giants, Harbaugh isn't giving up on the season. But for them to overcome the Burns' season-ending injury, they will need their former first-round picks and pass rushers to step up. Of course, we are talking about Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Giants need Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux to step up in Brian Burns' absence
The pass rush was expected to be an area of strength for the Giants entering this season. Having Burns, Thibodeaux, and Carter off the edge was supposed to make games miserable for opposing offensive lineman. Instead, the pass rush simply hasn't been there for the Giants.
Look no further than Thibodeaux's and Carters' performances in the Giants 12-7 win over the Titans. As SNY's Connor Hughes points out, both former first round picks recorded zero sacks, zero quarterback hits, and zero quarterback hurries, and just one tackle, which came from Thibodeaux. Before his injury, Burns had one pressure generated on 15 pass rush snaps, per Pro Football Focus. That's not ideal.
Back in Week 1, the Giants pass rush's best effort, Carter generated three pressures on 32 pass rushing snaps, while Thibodeaux generated three pressures on 16 snaps, per Pro Football Focus. While it did help the Giants pick up a huge win to start the season, they haven't come close to even surpassing this performance.
For Carter, he is looking to rebound from an up-and-down rookie year. He was considered the best prospect in the 2025 class. While he thrived at pressuring the quarterback, he was benched twice in a stretch of three games for missing a walk-through and for showing up late to a meeting.
As for Thibodeaux, he hasn't lived up to the billing as the fifth-overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. After shining with the Oregon Ducks, he had a huge 2023 season in which he recorded 11.5 sacks. Yet, he missed time during the 2024 and 2025 seasons due to injury. Now, he is in a contract year, where he could cash in as a free agent if he has a huge year.
Giants pass rush needs to show up with favorable schedule
The Giants need this duo to step up, especially with a favorable schedule ahead of them.
They managed to squeak past a bad Tennessee Titans team this past Sunday. Next up will be the Arizona Cardinals, who put up an admirable fight against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3, Following that, they will face the Washington Commanders, who pulled off an upset over the Seattle Seahawks, but their offense is still a question mark, especially on the offensive line. In Week 5, they face a New Orleans Saints team that looks like the favorites to win the NFC South. Then, before their Week 8 bye, they face a shockingly winless Houston Texans team that boasts a weak offensive line.
If the duo is to step up, this stretch is the perfect time. The schedule is only going to get tougher after the bye week, and if the Giants want to clinch a playoff spot, they need to win the games they are favored. Getting to the quarterback will help with that goal.
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