Four! NY Giants 4-Man Pass Rush Has Found Early Season Success

Sometimes less is more, especially when it comes to a pass rush.

That’s exactly what the New York Giants defense is finding out this season. The Giants' pass rush has been finding more success this year by sending only four rushers at the quarterback, which in turn has allowed the maximum number of players in coverage.

How good has the Giants' 4-man rush been? To answer that, let’s go back to last year, the first season with defensive coordinator Shane Bowen at the helm.

In 2024, the Giants ranked 30th in the league when sending four rushers, according to TruMedia (per the Locked On Giants podcast).

Of their 45 sacks, 23 came when they sent four rushers, and opposing quarterbacks enjoyed a 100.7 rating, which was also 30th in the league.

So far in 2025, the Giants have generated 9 of their 12 sacks via a four-man rush, putting them 13th in the league.

And opposing quarterbacks have just a 55.2% success rate against the Giants' 4-man rush, which is the ninth-best mark in the league through six weeks.

Better play has certainly been a part of it, as has the addition of rookie linebacker Abdul Carter, who gives opposing offenses something else to account for.

Outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux agreed.

“They can't, a team can't slide the same way every time, right? They got to kind of figure out who to stop,” he said on Monday during a video call with reporters.

“I think the tough part about being an offensive lineman is that you usually want to leave the one-on-one for the weakest guy, right? You want to try to double-team the best guys, leave the one-on-one for the weakest guy on defense.

“But for us, we don't really have a weak link–like everybody is kind of trained to go. So being able to whoever gets that one-on-one, being able to win that and show up and make the play, you know, has been good for us.”

Another benefit of having so many options has been the luxury of keeping guys fresh, which was a big problem for the Giants' defense last year as the season wore on and the offense failed to sustain drives, leaving the defense to log extra snaps in all kinds of environments that tested their stamina.

“I think that is a realistic perspective,” Thibodeaux said about the additions to the defense helping to keep guys fresher.

“But I also think we're all in shape and ready to play ball, however long the game will go. I will say it is a positive having guys you can kind of flow in and can rush and can do different things.

“But I think we all are capable of playing more snaps or whatever the case may be, depending on the game or the situation.”

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