NY Giants Defender Has Simple Solution to Fix the Run Defense

Rakeem Nunez-Roches believes fixing the Giants run defense, in part, will come down to four simple words.

New York Giants defensive linemen Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Dexter Lawrence II | Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

The New York Giants' run defense hasn’t exactly been a team strength the last several years, but one member of the unit from the last two seasons thinks the fix is as easy as 1-2-3.

"To be honest with you, a simple fix: Just do your job," defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez Roches told John Schmeelk for the Giants Huddle podcast. 

"The biggest thing last year was sometimes you felt like you had to do somebody else's job or compensate because of a lack of trust. This year, I feel like taking that step together and believing in one another.”

Nunez-Roches isn’t wrong in questioning if there was a lack of communication and trust among teammates, especially considering all the injuries to the defensive line, including a Week 12 season-ender for Dexter Lawrence. 

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The difference for the league’s 27th-ranked run defense without Lawrence was notable, particularly when New York ran a 3-3-5 formation against the run. 

According to SIS, the Giants used that personnel package on 133 opponent rushing attempts in Weeks 1-12 when Lawrence was on the field, achieving a 47% success rate, which ranked 22nd.

When Lawrence was lost for the season, the Giants only used the 3-3-5 formation 46 times against the run, but their success rate fell to 26th.

Given the challenges of holding up in the trenches, Giants general manager Joe Schoen placed a heavy emphasis on adding experienced talent to the defensive line.

The hope is that if Lawrence needs a rest during the game, the drop-off won't be as bad and that the communication will be better, given the experience among the players.