The New York Giants’ tackling has been atrocious through the first three weeks of the regular season. Though starting safety Xavier McKinney acknowledged that tackling is “something [the Giants] have to get better at,” he also expressed little urgency on the matter, making the bold claim that the team’s poor tackling is not the reason they are losing games.
Xavier McKinney seems unworried by the team’s poor tackling
As a starting safety and defensive captain, McKinney was questioned about the Giants’ tacking woes on Monday morning as the team gets back to practice in preparation for their Week 4 matchup with the Seahawks. To the surprise of many, McKinney downplayed the team’s struggles in tackling, saying it is something that he is not going to stress over.
“Tackling is not the reason why the games are where they’re going. It’s not the reason and not going to stress over it.”
Xavier McKinney via Giant Insider
Instead of focusing on the tackling as a primary reason for the team’s struggles, McKinney pointed toward the game-planning, saying, “As long as we continue to stick to our game plan, Sundays will be better for us.”
While it is true that the Giants need to do a better job of planning for gameday, their tackling has been abysmal through the first three weeks of the season. This issue needs to be corrected if Big Blue wants to turn its season around.
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The Giants’ tackling has been atrocious this season
As a captain of the defense, it’s shocking that McKinney had such a nonchalant response to questions regarding the team’s tackling struggles. McKinney has been a part of the problem, missing four tackles across the first three contests.
The Giants posted embarrassing tackling numbers in Week 3. The defense missed 16 tackles against the San Fransisco 49ers and conceded nine third-down conversions, with several coming on third-and-long situations.
Through three games, New York’s defense has missed 29 tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. The team’s poor tackling has hurt the team rather significantly and, despite McKinney’s comments, the issue does seem to be costing the team games.
Improving the tackling will be a massive point of emphasis this week as the Giants have extra time to prepare for their upcoming Week 4 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. McKinney has struggled so far this season and will need to turn things around as he looks to prove his worth amidst a contract year.