Giants Defense Remains Locked In Regardless of Obstacles

The Giants defense has been playing at a bend-but-don't-break level so far, and it's been getting the job done.

Author:
Gene Clemons
Publish date:
Oct 10, 2022 10:25 AM EDT

In this story:

The start of the 2022 football season could not have begun any better for the Giants after moving to 4-1 following their stunning 27-22 victory over the Green Bay Packers in London.

A big part of that success has been the play of Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II. Lawrence is playing at an All-Pro level while doing it as part of an increased workload (he played in 90 percent of the Giants' Week 5 defensive and 38 percent of the team's special teams snaps) and without defensive end Leonard Williams (knee).

Lawrence, a defensive co-captain, isn't one to sit there and drink in the praise that he's rightfully earned via his playing time. He'd rather speak to the success the team's defense is having as a whole.

Witness the Week 5 performance against the Packers. After giving up 20 points in the first half of the game, the defense shut down quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense in the game's final 30 minutes.

"It shows how much we just locked in in the second half," Lawrence said. "The guys came into the locker room saying they were giving us their best shot. It was a good football team, and we weren't playing up to how we knew we could play. We just said in the locker room, 'Okay, time to turn it on,' and we turned it on."

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Lawrence, who recorded the only sack in the game, hasn't been a part of a winning Giants team since joining the franchise as the No. 17 overall pick in the 2019 draft. But it's clear that the charismatic defensive tackle is not only embracing the Giants' 4-1 start, but it's something he can also get used to.

"It's big, seeing where we came from since I've been here and even before. It's just big," he said. "It gives a lot of people confidence. It shows just the gratitude -- we are happy to be here, honestly. We just gotta keep fighting. We gotta keep showing and proving each week who we are and who we want to be."

Who the Giants are is a defense that has not relied on a single star defender or personnel continuity (due to injuries and, to a lesser degree, performance at some spots) to play well, regardless of the offense.

In addition to missing defensive lineman Leonard Williams (knee), the defense was without cornerback Aaron Robinson (knee/IR) and edge Azeez Ojulari (calf) to start the game. They also lost cornerback Adoree' Jackson (knee) midway through Week 5, but those losses never stopped them from performing to the level that defensive coordinator Wink Martindale expects.

"Yeah, it's crazy, right? It's just guys are ready to go," Lawrence said. "It's a good job to the coaches keeping both the guys ready to go and play. I think we are building something really special, a family, something we need, and people want to go out there and play for each other and play well for each other. That's what happens. That's how you get a great football team."

It is not surprising that many around the league don't consider the Giants start as impressive. Some have pointed to the level of competition the Giants faced in the first month of the season, including wins over the Bears (2-3) and Panthers (1-4).

But the Giants have slowly been gaining the respect that eluded them in the first month of the season as they continue to hold their own against better competition, the latest being the win over the Packers.

"I think every game is important, and every game has its own importance," he said. "This is a good football team that we beat. We're happy, we're going to celebrate, and we're going to move on to the next day."

That attitude has served him well. After a first half where the defense was not very effective at keeping the Packers out of the scoring column, the defense figured out how the Packers, and more importantly Aaron Rodgers, were looking to defeat them.

They kept calm and continued to make adjustments which is a significant improvement over years past where, after having a first half that at one point saw them down by 14 points, they might have seen the game slip away.

Lawrence attributes that to the players' resolve.

"We didn't like how we were playing in the first half. They were hitting us here and there, little things like that," he said. "We just had to tighten up and understand how (Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers) was trying to break down the defense. Honestly, we just came in and said, 'It's not over. Let's keep fighting. Let's keep playing for each other, and the outcome will show itself.'"

Lawrence continued praising his teammates' resolve on both sides of the ball and how much they enjoyed playing together. He believes it is the reason they have had such success so far. They are always ready to play regardless of who is suited up.

"It just shows the heart and how much we want to play for each other, how much we want to be there for each other, and the coaches getting every guy ready in their room. It kind of sucks to have your key guys go down or guys you count on. But at the same time, we all-pros, so we all got to be ready when our number is called."