The New York Giants’ defense has been poor through the first two weeks of the season. However, they have had a few standout individual performances to be excited about, like that of third-year linebacker Micah McFadden.
Despite missing Week 1 with a groin injury that he suffered in the preseason, McFadden bounced back in his return to the field in Week 2. He posted elite statistics at the linebacker position as McFadden continues to establish himself as a core piece of the Giants’ defense.
Micah McFadden was one of the Giants’ best players in Week 2
McFadden was one of Pro Football Focus’s highest-graded linebackers in Week 2. He earned an 87.9 PFF grade against the Commanders, which ranked sixth among all linebackers this past weekend. His 88.4 run defense grade also ranked sixth at the position while his five stops (tackles that constitute a “failure” for the offense) ranked ninth.
While he graded out highly and made some big plays, it’s the plays that McFadden didn’t make that fans seem to be hung up about. McFadden had an opportunity to sack Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels on a crucial second and long, but Daniels broke free and the drive ultimately ended up in three points for Washington. Finishing plays like that and cutting down his missed tackle rate will be the next step for McFadden.
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Despite McFadden’s best efforts, the Giants’ defense turned in a putrid overall performance. They surrendered 425 total yards of offense to the Commanders, including 215 yards rushing. Washington running back Brian Robinson Jr. had himself a game, totaling a single-game career-high 133 rushing yards on 17 carries.
The Giants’ run defense has been among the NFL’s worst through two weeks. They are surrendering an average of 163.0 rushing yards per game, ranking 28th in the league. McFadden needs to become more consistent and the unit needs to play with more cohesion going forward. Once the Giants’ run defense tightens up, perhaps the defense can begin to make some stops, and maybe New York can start to win some games.
