Here are some notes, quotes, and numbers to know before the New York Giants face the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Confounding Carter
Abdul Carter is a confounding pass rusher.
He wins fast:
He wins a lot:
Carter for two seasons now has an elite pass rush win rate but just can’t finish.
Once he finally puts its together there’s promise. I think more zone coverage will keep the ball in the QB’s hands just a second more for him to get home.
He just does not compile a lot of sacks. He has just one in four games this season, and five in 21 career games.
Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson said this week that Carter was “throwing his fastball all game” against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4, and lauded his impact on Arizona quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
It’s hard not to believe the sack numbers will eventually come for Carter.
But, can he play quarterback?
How good has rookie long-snapper Ben Mann been for the Giants this season? This good:
If only Jameis Winston were that accurate.
Unblemished
Commanders coach Dan Quinn is 6-0 as a head coach against the Giants, 4-0 with the Commanders and 2-0 with the Atlanta Falcons, per Giants PR. The only other coach with an undefeated record against the Giants (five-game minimum) is Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams. McVay is 5-0.
“He’s Jameis. When I first got to meet him, I didn’t think he was as serious as he was. I didn’t know that. But he’s a very serious person at times. He knows how to be, when I say serious, very professional. But at the same point in time, I think we know who Jameis is too, and he likes to be lighthearted as well.”
Skat’s magic number
In two seasons, the Giants are 5-0 when Cam Skattebo has at least 18 rushing attempts. They are 0-7 when he has 17 carries or fewer.
Speaking of the running game, I wrote this week that coach John Harbaugh admitted the Giants are “**just not good enough**” in the run game. The longest run from a running back so far this season is 13 yards.
“I think we haven’t fully came into our own yet,” Skattebo said. “I think up front we’re in a new scheme, new system, and these guys are learning. Sisi (offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa) coming in, this is going into game five of his career. The guys up front are learning the system. B-Hud’s (offensive lineman Bryan Hudson) the center now.
“At times, going on, we’ve just got to continue to work and get better at what we’re doing. I think as time goes on, it’s going to get better and better. These guys are going to really find the flow in the system and things are going to be just fine.”
The most interesting takeaway there is Skattebo revealing that Hudson has indeed taken the starting center job from John Michael Schmitz.
On the flip side, this is the first time since 2006 that the Giants have not allowed at least one run of 25 yards through their first four games.
(H/T, Giants PR)
Dealing with Jayden
The Giants have to approach Jayden Daniels, a quarterback who can be devastating when he begins to run, differently than the stationary Jacoby Brissett of the Arizona Cardinals. Rush discipline is critical.
“That’s a really big thing. That’s a big factor,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “That’s a big challenge because pinning your ears back, what does that exactly mean? There’s lanes, so to speak. There’s leverages. There’s angles involved. I think it’s really important to understand that you’re rushing to the quarterback, not past the blockers or past the offensive line. If you try to rush past the offensive line, you’re usually going to be past the quarterback. That’s not good. So, we want to be to the quarterback in a direct fashion, direct manner. Our guys are really focusing on doing that. But that doesn’t mean you can just run offensive linemen over. They don’t let you do that too often.
“So, you’ve got to have ways to go about getting past them to the quarterback. That’s the challenge. I think if you think about it that way, you can see it’s not the easiest thing in the world to do. But that’s what we work on all the time. We have really good pass rushers, I think it’s starting to heat up a little bit. I feel like you can feel it. So, it’s good.”
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