2. Wink Martindale's defense on third down has been rough
The only thing the Giants defense may have done worse than miss tackles in Week 3 against the 49ers is fail to stop them on third down. The 49ers converted 9-of-16 third-down attempts. The inability to get off the field is a major problem, especially on third-and-long attempts:
Giants Defense 3rd down stats:
— Justin Penik (@JustinPenik) September 28, 2023
• Third downs by yards to go:
0-3: 6/9 (66%)
4-6: 6/10 (60%)
7-10: 4/13 (30%)
11+: 5/10 (50%)
• Avg yards to go: 7.46. League average in 2023 is 7
• 54% of third downs the Giants are forcing teams into a 3rd&7 & longer. League average is 47%…
Not only are the long drives resulting in points for the opposing team, but it is also hurting the Giants offense in the field position and time of possession battles, making it even harder to score for an offense that has been struggling to say the least. The 49ers had possession for 39 minutes and 10 seconds of the game in Week 3 compared to Big Blue’s 20 minutes and 50 seconds.
Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is known for dialing up the pressure and calling blitz plays virtually any time his defense gets in a third-down situation, which could be part of the problem. The Giants secondary is not strong enough to man up with opposing offenses if the pass-rush isn’t able to get there, which was demonstrated countless amount of times on Thursday Night Football against the 49ers.
This issue goes hand-in-hand with the team’s tackling issues. The 49ers threw the ball behind the line of scrimmage repeatedly on third down, but were still able to convert because of the Giants inability to finish the play and make tackles. This has to improve moving forward and it must start vs. Seattle on Monday night.