The New York Giants have watched some bad football in recent years, and they can take the wins when they can get them. It certainly doesn't help matters for Giants fans watching the team underperform with all the talent across the roster. While head coach Brian Daboll catches a lot of heat, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen isn't exactly a fan favorite.
The Giants' strength on paper heading into the season was their pass-rush. The team already had Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the roster, and then they used the No. 3 overall pick on Penn State stud pass-rusher Abdul Carter. Yet, through the first three games of the season, they were very much a non-factor. It certainly didn't help that Bowen would line up Cater at inside linebacker to make up for the absence of Micah McFadden.
But on Sunday, Bowen redeemed himself. The Giants took down the undefeated Los Angeles Chargers 21-18 to earn their first win of the season. While the attention was on rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, Bowen finally unleashed his pass-rushing group, as Carter, Burns, and Thibodeaux accounted for 20 total pressures on the day.
Abdul Carter, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux combined for 20 pressures, per NextGen stats.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) September 28, 2025
Carter had 5 QB hits. Burns 4 and a sack. Thibodeaux 3 and a sack. Total domination. #Giants
Shane Bowen finally unleashes Abdul Carter, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux in Week 4 win
Bowen had no choice but to unleash the pass-rush. That's because the Chargers offensive line was decimated by injuries. They already lost left tackle Rashawn Slater for the season due to a torn patellar tendon. In the game, Joe Alt suffered a high-ankle sprain early on and was ruled out for the game.
The Giants pass-rush feasted and played a significant role in the win. They made Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert run for his life. Carter may not have recorded a sack, but he was relentless, as he recorded nine total pressures, five quarterback hits, and four quarterback hurries, according to NextGen Stats. Those are absurd numbers, but ones that Giants fans expected to see when he took the stage in Green Bay to accept his Giants jersey.
Burns, meanwhile, had four quarterback pressures and a sack. The sack came at a crucial time for the Giants, as he was able to knock Herbert backwards for a 16-yard loss on 3rd-and-nine, forcing the Chargers to punt the ball. That allowed the Giants offense to burn as much time as possible off the clock and punt the ball back to the Chargers, who used all of their timeouts, with under 20 seconds remaining. The Chargers and Herbert were unable to get into field goal range.
As for Thibodeaux, he had a great game as well, recording one sack and three quarterback pressures. After the game, Thibodeaux couldn't believe the amount of pressures the trio tallied while speaking with reporters. This is what Giants fans wanted to see.
This trio had the potential to really wreak havoc against opposing offensive lines on paper, and they got to do so against one of the top performing signal-callers in the game in Herbert. Credit to Bowen for finally utilizing the defenses' strength, as it overshadowed their weaknesses (the secondary, open field tackling).