New York Giants Week 11: A Look at the Green Bay Packers Defense

Can the New York Giants offense find success with Jaxson Dart or Jameis Winston?

Oct 9, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, left, and quarterback Jameis Winston, right, on the field before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Giants' offense has struggled to score consistently against anyone. It will be without Jaxson Dart this week, as he's still in concussion protocol and hasn't been cleared for noncontact activities.

This Sunday, Mike Kafka-Tim Kelly-Jameis Winston-led offense will face a Green Bay Packers defense that has only allowed more than 25 points in one game this season. Let's get into the matchup.

Personnel

Nov 10, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lambeau Field. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

I don’t think I’ve seen a team this season play fewer defenders than the Packers have. Green Bay has had just 23 players take any snaps, and only 19 have played 10 or more.

In the edge room, Micah Parsons, whom the Packers traded for before the season, leads the unit with 50 pressures, third-most in the NFL.

Rashawn Gary handles most of the snaps on the edge opposite Parsons, and while he’s not as dominant a pass-rusher, he is a more reliable run stopper than Parsons.

That’s not to say that Gary isn’t a productive pass-rusher, as he still has 31 pressures on the year, second on the team.

Kingsley Enagbare is the third edge rusher in this group, seeing an increase in snaps with Lukas Van Ness out since week six, but not making much of an impact as a pass-rusher.

The interior defensive line also features a rotation of only three players. I don’t think any other team in the NFL does that at the moment.

Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden, and Devonte Wyatt handle duties on the interior, with Wooden playing the nose and both Wyatt and Brooks playing the three-technique spots.

There will be times when both Brooks and Wyatt are on the field at the same time when the Packers are expecting a pass, as they are third and fourth on the team in terms of pressures, respectively.

Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker handle the bulk of snaps for the off-ball linebacker role, with Isaiah McDuffie rotating in as the third backer.

Cooper and Walker will play the overwhelming majority of snaps. Still, McDuffie has been very solid in limited opportunities and could see the field if the Packers go to base defense, which will likely happen when the Giants use 12 personnel.

The Packers usually have a rotation going on at outside cornerback, with Keisean Nixon playing most of the outside corner snaps on the left side.

On the right side, Carrington Valentine and Nate Hobbs have split the bulk of the work until recently, when Hobbs got injured, leaving him questionable for this week against the Giants.

Javon Bullard is the starting nickel for the Packers, and while he’s still finding his footing in year two in the NFL, he’s strung together some solid performances in recent weeks.

Bullard will rotate all over the secondary, but will play most snaps in the nickel and prides himself on being an aggressive, downhill defender.

The Packers' safeties that rarely come off the field are former Giant Xavier McKinney and second-year player Evan Williams.

When McKinney left the Giants, he was one of the best young safeties in football, and now with the Packers, he’s just one of the best safeties in football.

McKinney is allowing a passer rating of just 58.6 when targeting him, with two interceptions and an elite 3.4% tackle rate.

Williams hasn’t been as dominant as McKinney, but he’s played his role at a starter-level, being the Robin to McKinney’s Batman.

Scheme

Coverage-wise, the Packers are among the most diverse teams in the NFL, primarily operating in zone coverage but also using a variety of schemes.

The Packers will spend most of their time operating in Cover 3, Cover 2, and quarters, as well as both Cover 4 and Cover 6.

When the Packers opt for man coverage, they will almost always employ cover-one, man-to-man coverage underneath, with one safety playing zone coverage over the top and another zone defender positioned underneath in the middle of the field.

The Packers often come out in a two-high defensive shell and rotate safeties post-snap based on coverage.

On defense, the Packers often bring out a Wide 9, placing an edge rusher on the tight end's outside shoulder.

The benefit of the Wide 9 when you have an edge rusher like Parsons is that offensive tackles need to be athletic enough to cover space to engage with the wide nine.

The Wide 9 also makes it easier for the defense to blitz, as the offensive line needs to be more spread out to account for the wider defensive line.

The Packers don’t blitz often, ranking fifth-lowest in the NFL at 18.5%. When they do, it almost always comes from a linebacker.

Also, expect the Packers to use creepers and simulated pressures. The purpose of creepers and sim pressures is to generate pressure without sacrificing coverage on the back end and to confuse quarterbacks, allowing the pass rush to get there.

Overview

Oct 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston (19) huddles up before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Interim head coach Mike Kafka has already announced that Jameis Winston will get the start at quarterback this weekend while Jaxson Dart continues his recovery. Winston and company are going to have their work cut out for them.

Keeping a back or tight end in to pass protect will be crucial in protecting the quarterback.

A pass-rush getting home will likely cause some issues for Winston, who hasn’t seen significant snaps since last year.

Winston is an aggressive passer who may make mistakes, but is likely going to increase the number of explosive plays this offense can generate.

The Packers have one of the better run defenses in the NFL, so Giants fans should expect to see a lot of underneath passes instead of a run game.

The Giants should be expected to use 12-personnel consistently against the Packers' defense, which typically matches personnel groupings, and to try to create mismatches in coverage.

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