Coming into the season, the New York Giants could only hang their hats on one thing. The offense may have been shaky, the secondary was a major question mark, but the defensive front was supposed to be one of the best in the league.
The unit produced three sacks in their opener against the Washington Commanders but couldn't do enough to sway the final result. Still, it was hard to complain about a loss to a team that went to the NFC Championship Game last season.
But after a stagnant showing for the Commanders on Thursday Night Football, the Giants' biggest strength is starting to look mediocre.
Commanders struggles prove Giants' defense isn't what fans hoped
We've seen NFL teams have success by leaning into their strengths. Think of the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles' pass-rushing attack or the Seattle Seahawks' "Legion of Boom" defenses. While the Giants don't have the expectations those teams had, they clearly tried to create a similar identity by putting together an elite defensive line.
Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux form a unit that should strike fear into their opponents. They had a decent outing against Washington in Week 1, putting pressure on Jayden Daniels but struggling to stop the run. It wasn't the dominant performance fans had hoped for, but there was still enough to be excited about for the rest of the season.
Now, it looks like the Commanders may not be the juggernaut fans thought they were. They managed to finish their prime time game against the Green Bay Packers with a respectable score of 18-27, but they were outmatched for the entire night. The offensive line that held up against New York allowed four sacks and seemingly countless pressures. Packers defenders were in the backfield all night, terrorizing Daniels as he scrambled to find some sort of open space.
They couldn't run the ball on the Packers either, totaling just 51 yards on the ground. The offense that looked more than competent against the Giants was lost in Green Bay.
The Packers showed the G-Men what a dominant defensive front looks like. They had waves of pass rushers and run stoppers ready to go at any moment.
Giants fans didn't come into this season with high hopes, but they were at least supposed to have an elite defensive line. Now, it looks like their biggest strength might not be a strength at all.