One can’t get too wrapped up in last year’s statistics when trying to foresee the next season’s outcome because a lot changes yearly. That being said, the Giants are facing four out of the top five rushing offenses and featured backs Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott, David Montgomery, Aaron Jones, Travis Etienne, D’Andre Swift, and Dalvin Cook. Forget Daniel Jones, and pass rush be damned; the Giant’s success this year revolves entirely around their ability to run and stop the run. The chart below depicts the offensive rankings and star players of each week’s opponents.
Fans Should Stop Expecting a High-Flying Offense and Settle for Consistency
Opponent Passing QB Rushing RB
Week 1 vs. Titans: 24 TANNEHILL 5 HENRY Week 2 vs. Carolina: 29 MAYFIELD 20 MC CAFFREY Week 3 & 12 vs. Cowboys: 2 PRESCOTT 9 ELLIOTT Week 4 vs. Bears: 30 FIELDS 14 MONTGOMERY Week 5 vs. Packers: 8 ROGERS 18 JONES Week 6 vs. Ravens: 13 JACKSON 3 DOBBINS Week 7 vs. Jaguars: 21 LAWRENCE 22 ETIENNE Week 8 vs. Seahawks: 23 SMITH 11 PENNY Week 10 vs. Texans: 28 MILLS 32 PIERCE Week 11 vs. Detroit: 18 GOFF 19 SWIFT Week 13 & 15 vs. Washington: 21 WENTZ 12 GIBSON Week 14 & 18 vs. Eagles: 25 HURTS 1 SANDERS Week 16 vs. Vikings: 11 COUSINS 17 COOK Week 17 vs. Colts 26 RYAN 2 TAYLOR
The Giants play seven out of the bottom ten passing offenses from last year. The biggest threats are Aaron Rogers of the Packers and Dak Prescott. Both teams rely on the run to open up the pass, more so the Packers this year with the departure of Devante Adams and emergence of AJ Dillion to partner with Jones. They also have to deal with Lamar Jackson yet the biggest problem defending against him is, you guessed it, his ability to run.
It will be interesting what this means for defensive coordinators Wink Martindale’s blitz heavy scheme. Will they be able to stop the run enough to be able to blitz some of those weaker quarterbacks on the schedule? If so, it could be a good year for the Giant’s defense.
First-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux mentioned he was pleased with his ability to set the edge in the first preseason game vs. the Patriots, and that’s good to hear because if he and Azeez Ojulari can’t contain the run, their pass-rushing prowess will be pointless. This makes the drafting of thumping middle linebacker Darrian Beavers a prudent move. Though he is considered to be a throwback, the Giants may very well need an old-school run stuffing middle backer for first and second downs since the defense gave up nearly two thousand yards to running backs last season. No one on the Giant’s defensive line has yet proven they are a bona fide run stopper which makes projected nose tackle, Dexter Lawrence, one of the biggest X factors on the team this year.
Having a semblance of a pass rush is an exciting change but it’s like buying a new kite on a windless day. Don’t get too excited until you check the weather.