The Giants managed to regroup and come back against a tough Titan defense last week and will try to prove it was not an anomaly against a less talented Carolina team that visits this Sunday.
Linebackers
Last week Saquon Barkley carved up 2021’s second-ranked rushing defense while Carolina’s defense was shredded for 217 yards on the ground. Shaq Thompson has been and will likely continue to be a tackling machine yet middle linebacker and seven-year veteran Damien Wilson is coming off of a distant career-high 106 tackles playing for a bad Jaguars team. He could just as likely decline as he could continue at that production level. Frankie Luvu has been unremarkable in his first four years and has only 108 career tackles. He will not likely replace Haason Reddick’s stellar pass rush production which he took to Philadelphia in free agency and who the Giants will now have to face twice this season.
Secondary
The loss of 2019 defensive player of the year and five-time pro-bowler Stephon Gilmore to the Colts this offseason may have been a more crushing blow if last year’s number eight overall pick Jaycee Horn wasn’t finally returning. Yet since he only played in three games last year before breaking three bones in his foot he will still be somewhat of a rookie. Donte Jackson returns from last year’s fourth-ranked pass defense in which he had a solid 62.7 completion rate.
New York Giants: Know Thy Enemy: Carolina’s Ben McAdoo and Christian McCaffrey
At safety Xavier Woods comes over from the Vikings after one season. One that happened to be his best season with 108 tackles, ten passes defended, three interceptions, and a 60% completion rate. Woods will pair with 2020 second-round pick, Jeremy Chin making it the second upper-tier safety duo the Giants will face to start the season. Chinn finished the season with a 64% completion rate. For comparison, pro bowlers last year had a completion rate in the mid to low 50s. He also had over 100 tackles and a year statistically slightly better than Xavier McKinney who was drafted 28 spots before him.
The Giants didn’t do much to target Tennessee’s safeties last week and don’t seem to have good reason to go out of their way to challenge Carolina’s secondary this week without at least softening up a suspect front seven first to open up the passing game.
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