3 positives and 2 negatives from the NY Giants shaky start to the season
By Zak Musso
Negative: NY's defense has struggled
The Giants defense appeared to be the strength of the team entering 2023, but the unit has looked rough through 12 quarters. Wink Martindale's defense is giving up 361.7 yards per game, ninth-worst in football, 138 rushing yards per game, fourth-worst in the NFL, and 32.7 points per game, third worst in football.
Only four players on New York's roster have PFF grades over 70, the bottom range of the starter tier. All four players are defensive linemen (Lawrence, Leonard Williams, DJ Davidson, and Jordon Riley). The Giants defense has been disappointing in the three vital defensive areas: sacks, tackling, and run defense.
Big Blue has just two sacks, the second-worst least in football, and has missed 29 tackles this season, including 16 against San Francisco. New York's two inside linebackers, Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden, have combined for 37 tackles but missed 11, a brutal 22.9 percent missed tackle rate. The missed tackles can't continue to happen and Martindale needs to stress this in practice.