The New York Giants’ defensive line has struggled to live up to the hype this season. They entered the year with lofty expectations as the lineup features a trio of talented pass rushers who were projected to become a disruptive force.
After a slow start to the season, third-year edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux seems to finally be showing flashes of his great potential. The former fifth-overall pick had a solid game in Week 4, continuing to build on recent success.
Kayvon Thibodeaux had a solid performance in Week 4
In Week 4, Thibodeaux turned in a productive outing against the Dallas Cowboys. Despite the loss, the Giants’ defense received praise for applying pressure to QB Dak Prescott and holding the Cowboys’ offense to only 20 points. Thibodeaux was a catalyst to the defense’s disruptive outing.
The third-year pass-rusher finished the game with five total pressures, four hurries, and one sack. Thibodeaux’s 25.0% pass-rush win rate ranked seventh in the NFL among all edge rushers in Week 4 (PFF). His five pressures ranked tied-sixth.
Thibodeaux’s season stats are now up to a total of 1.5 sacks, 10 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, and six quarterback hits. While increasing his game-to-game production will be a point of emphasis, Thibodeaux has produced some decent statistics through the first four games of the season.
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The Giants need more production from their pass-rushing department
Despite Thibodeaux’s recent success, the Giants’ defensive line has overall lacked consistency this season. They had a historically good outing in the team’s Week 3 win over the Cleveland Browns, totaling eight sacks on QB Deshaun Watson. They also totaled five sacks the game prior in their Week 2 loss to the Washington Commanders.
But sandwiching those two good performances are two underwhelming, one-sack-a-piece outings in Week 1 and Week 4. The Giants’ entire defensive line has been a disappearing act, coming and going through four weeks.
Applying more consistent pressure to opposing quarterbacks needs to be a point of emphasis going forward. The Giants’ defense has been relatively solid this season, surrendering only 21.0 points per game. But a more productive pass rush could help the Giants force more turnovers, thwart passing attacks, and hopefully games.
