If the Giants were ever going to accomplish anything in 2025, they would need to lean on their defensive front.
Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brian Burns and Abdul Carter (this year’s third overall draft pick) were widely expected to make a huge impact in pass rush.
Sure enough, the Giants got just that in Sunday’s stunning 21-18 win over the Chargers, as they improved to 1-3 in rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart’s first start. Now, heading into this week’s winnable game at the 0-4 Saints, the Giants need that front (and pass rush) more than ever, with star receiver Malik Nabers out for the year.
Carter, for one, is ready to build off the dominant showing in Week 4.
“We feel like we can’t be stopped,” he told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday. “Once we do our job and stop the run and make the quarterback one dimensional and make them pass the ball, that’s when we take over the game.”
The Giants’ pass rush — and Carter in particular — absolute took over the Chargers game. Though the Giants sacked Justin Herbert just twice (one by Burns and another by Thibodeaux), they racked up 12 other quarterback hits. Carter had five, Burns four and Thibodeaux three.
It was a masterful showing that earned the Giants a pass rush grade of 85.2 from Pro Football Focus, which credited Carter with eight pressures (92.1 grade). Burns had seven pressures (72.7 grade), Thibodeaux five (66.1).
Lawrence made an impact, too, because teams must account for him, often with double-team blocking schemes. He had two pressures against the Chargers, but notable graded 74.2 — impressive, disruptive stuff, even without big stats. (Of course, Lawrence did have that epic tipped-pass interception and 37-yard return.)
All told, Herbert was pressured on 20 of his 44 drop backs last week, as the Giants accumulated 27 individual pressures (since some plays included more than one rusher getting to Herbert).
Carter was a fascinating addition this past offseason to a pass rush that was already pretty darn good last year with Lawrence, Burns and Thibodeaux. (There were plenty of non-pass rush factors that resulted in the Giants going 3-14 in 2024.)
Then inside linebacker Micah McFadden suffered what might be a season-ending foot injury in Week 1 at Washington. So Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen tinkered with Carter’s positioning — a testament to the rookie’s versatility, but also something that was going to limit his edge-rushing opportunities.
In the first three weeks, Carter had four, four and three pressures, with PFF pass rush grades of 78.3, 66.6 and 57.3. Then he exploded against the Chargers.
In terms of Carter’s usage, he played 33 of 38 snaps on the front in Week 1, compared to five snaps in the box (on the second level, where McFadden aligns). In Week 2, that ratio was 59 on the front and eight in the box.
But in Week 3 against the Chiefs, Bowen used Carter a lot on the second level — 43 snaps in the box, compared to just 13 along the defensive line. Bowen quickly abandoned that approach against the Chargers — four snaps in the box, 42 on the front — which boosted Carter’s chances to tee off on Herbert.
“That’s what I do best,” Carter said. “So any time I can do that, I’m happy.”
Expect to see a lot more of Carter aligning along that front, on the edge, going forward — as Bowen realizes it’s a rather wise idea to just turn this kid loose.
Meanwhile, Carter isn’t content with just one dominant game.
“Our D-line ate, but we’re over it now,” he said. “That’s the main thing we’ve got to do: Keep building and keep getting better.”
The gem against the Chargers is “what we work for,” he said. “We always talk about it. Then it’s actually going out there and doing it.”
Though he clearly prefers playing on the edge, he doesn’t mind helping in the box. He showed at Penn State that he could do it.
“I’ve been doing that since my freshman year of college, so I’m pretty much used to it by now,” he said.
So when the Giants are able to disrupt a quarterback like they did in Week 4, what does that mean for this team overall?
The answer seems obvious — even with Nabers finished for the season — but Carter resisted the chance to crow.
“It means we’ve got to not get comfortable,” he said. “We can’t have one performance and be OK with that. We’ve got to come out there and do it week in and week out.”
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