It was long overdue, but Abdul Carter finally looked like the player New York Giants fans expected after using the No. 3 pick on him back in April. The Week 15 loss to the Commanders saw the 21-year-old deliver the best performance of his NFL career just as fans were starting to lose hope.
In the 29-21 defeat, the Penn State product logged seven combined tackles, a sack, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. And that prompted Giants' interim head coach Mike Kafka to say "he played his tail off" and added that his big performance came as "no surprise".
To go from in the coach's dog house last time we saw this team to having Kafka say Carter played with his hair on fire is quite the 180. For a Giants' defensive line that was waiting for him to flourish as the running mate to Brian Burns, the only complaint fans have is, where was this Abdul a month ago?
Mike Kafka praises Abdul Carter after career game vs. Commanders
Unfortunately, it took 15 weeks and the firing of assistant defensive line coach Bryan Cox to get the top-five pick in a rhythm. Whether that's coaching malpractice or a result of those lingering effort concerns, it doesn't change the fact that Big Blue's heralded rookie looks to be turning a corner.
It's an incredibly promising showing from a player who didn't record his first full sack until Week 13. The 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year got off to a slow start this season, and the off-field concerns about his maturity had fans prematurely starting to label Carter as a potential draft bust.
However, now that Shane Bowen is gone, it seems like the Pennsylvania native has found his second wind. It was alarming to see off-field drama lead to to a lack of on-field production this year, especially given he has the talent and potential to become one of the most dangerous pass-rushers in the NFL.
He's taken plenty of heat this season for lack of preparation, so hearing Kafka say he was prepared this time around is music to fans' ears. And the fact that he was prepared clearly showed, as he doubled his sack total and tripled his tackle for loss total after DC Charlie Bullen said he received the message.
He was once regarded as the best pass-rushing prospect since Micah Parsons, and finally displayed that potential on Sunday. Here's hoping he builds on this momentum across Big Blue's final three games of the season and continues to cement himself as a franchise cornerstone.