A Closer Look at Giants' Pass Rush Offers Interesting Takeaway

The Giants pretty much have the same cast of characters at edge rusher as they did last year. So the group can use a new face, right?

Regarding statistics, there's an old cliche that they are like bikinis, showing you a lot but not everything.

Sort of like the New York Giants pass rush from a year ago, you might say.

How so?

Well, when it comes to the stats from last season--41 sacks--placed the Giants 13th in the league. Considering that the team didn't have edge rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari for a full season, that's not too shabby, nor is the fact that the Giants' average sack attempt average (7.22 percent) wasn't too far off the league average (7.18 percent).

But one thing that defensive coordinator Wink Martindale would probably like for people to remember is that while sacks are preferred, they are not the be-all, end-all stat by which a defense should be judged.

A History Lesson

For proof of that, let's go back and look at where Martindale's Baltimore Ravens defenses ranked in terms of the passing game during his years as defensive coordinator (2018-2021). Except for the 2021 season, one in which injuries completely ravaged the passing defense, causing it to finish 32nd in the league, Martindale's pass defenses all finished either fifth or sixth league-wide.

Not bad, considering that in those defenses (2018-2020), not one defender recorded double-digit sacks, right?

When evaluating a pass rush, other stats need to be considered, such as interceptions, fumbles forced, and quarterback hits--in short, anything that results in either a loss of yardage or the quarterback failing to complete a pass because the timing was disrupted.

What Martindale's Ravens defenses did from 2018-2020 was record triple-digit quarterback hits and double-digit interceptions. Except for 2018 and 2021 (eight), they also recorded double-digit forced fumbles and held opponents to under 60 percent in completed catches in 2018 and 2019.

Other stats that should be included in the overall grading of a pass rush include holding penalties, interceptions, fumbles forced, and quarterback hits and hurries. In short, anything that results in either a loss of yardage or the quarterback failing to complete a pass because the timing was disrupted.

What This Means for the Giants

Why revisit this history? Because there is a growing number of people--myself included--who were surprised that the Giants didn't act more aggressively to add to their pass-rushing tandem, which includes outside linebackers Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, Jihad Ward, Elerson Smith, and Oshane Ximines (the same cast of characters from last year) as well as defensive linemen Leonard Wiliams and Dexter Lawrence.

In addition to the 41 sacks, the Giants' 2022 pass rush produced 106 quarterback hits, 18 forced fumbles, 75 pass breakups, and six interceptions. (The low interception total is more of a reflection of the play of the back end of the defense.)

Giants opponents finished with a completion percentage of 61.4 percent, qualifying them for the eighth-best passing defense in the league last year.

Final Thoughts

While a case could be made that the Giants didn't have to upgrade their outside linebacker talent given the stats, the actual and more accurate argument is that of the various levels of the defense, upgrading the back end was not only more of a priority (specifically at cornerback), but it also aligned with the strength of the draft.

At some point, Giants general manager Joe Schoen will look to add to the edge rusher group. But just as he didn't necessarily force a No.1 receiver to the roster this year, he wasn't about to force another blue goose pass rusher when the strengths of the draft and free agency provided talent to otherwise boost the overall pass rush picture.

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