Under first-year defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, the New York Giants' defense has improved in several areas from where it was under Shane Bowen. But more than anything, they should be happy they hired a DC who specializes in developing DBs, because this secondary has taken a jump.
Through five weeks, only six teams (Seahawks, Rams, Vikings, Jets, Packers, Chargers) are giving up fewer passing yards than the Giants, and they've been locking down top WRs. They kept CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in check in the season opener and mostly locked up Terry McLaurin last week.
That's promising, but they have also given up their fair share of boom games to opposing WR1s. Davante Adams went for 195 yards and two touchdowns against this secondary in Week 2, and Michael Wilson nearly crossed the century mark in Week 4, which doesn't bode well for this week.
Unfortunately, Week 6 will offer another collision course with one of the top wideouts in the business, as Big Blue will host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon. While you can look at their 1-4 record and assume the offense isn't all that, Chris Olave is still a player who will be hard to slow down.
The only wide receiver in the NFL with more receiving yards than Olave entering Week 6 is reigning OPOY Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Yeah, he's been that productive in 2026. More than Amon-Ra St. Brown. More than CeeDee Lamb. Even more than Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, so his not being a household name yet doesn't mean the Giants' secondary can afford to overlook him.
Slowing down Chris Olave will be a problem for this New York Giants defense
Here's the tough part: he has one game this season below 50 receiving yards, and the 26-year-old amassed 100+ receiving yards or a touchdown in each of the Saints' first four games of the season. He's one of the better downfield threats in this league, even if he hasn't found the end zone much yet.
Chris Olave is far and away Tyler Shough's favorite target, which is the main reason for his leap to elite status. And given that the Saints don't have much of a run game or many other truly consistent threats on offense, their calling card all year has been to play through No. 12, so Wilson knows who to key in on.
This means the Giants will need someone up to the task to lock him down. Deonte Banks is in the midst of a major bounce-back season, and Greg Newsome has been a solid free-agent pickup, so they need one of them or Olave's former teammate, Paulson Adebo, to mitigate the damage.
But there is a bright side here. The Saints will be without star tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. and running back Travis Etienne, so their ground game is non-existent. But Shough is also one of the most pressured QBs in this league, and that's how teams have been beating New Orleans all season to date. So that means getting him off-center is the way to take Olave out--not through trying to Revis Island him.
So as long as Wilson keeps channeling his inner Brian Flores and blitzes like a maniac on Sunday, the G-Men should be successful. Don't give Shough time to find Olave deep and pressure him into making mistakes. This is what you have Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter (if he plays) for, although Banks pressing him at the line of scrimmage certainly wouldn't hurt.
It won't be easy for the New York Giants to neutralize Chris Olave (and Tyler Shough) on Sunday given how productive he's been this year, but the blueprint is there if Dennard Wilson and this defense (and secondary) decide to use it and prevent him from a flu game blow-up.
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