New York Giants Did Very Well in This Surprising Area Last Season

There weren't many bright spots in the Giants' 2024 season, but this surprising stat was promising.

Jul 24, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen looks on during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Facility. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Not much went right for the New York Giants in 2024, but outside of a solid draft class, one other development vastly improved from the prior season that they can hope to build on.

That thing is the team’s blitz success rate. According to Pro Football Network, the Giants saw a significant improvement in their blitz effectiveness despite decreasing the amount of times the defense blitzed.

For reference, in 2023, the second and final year under defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, the Giants blitzed 45.4% of the time (the second-most in the league), generating a 6.2% sack rate and a 35.6% pressure rate.

Outside linebackers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux during the first day of training camp for the 2024 New York Giants. | Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

In 2024, the first year under Shane Bowen, who replaced Martindale, the Giants blitzed 27.9% of the time (24th in the league) and posted a 12% sack rate and a 41.8% pressure rate.

There are a few reasons for the improvement, starting with the fact that the Giants did not have any edge player land in the top 20 of ESPN’s pass-rush win rate leaderboard. 

The only defender to qualify–and that was under the interior defensive line category–for a spot in the top 20 was Dexter Lawrence II, who finished with a 19% PRWR and was third in 2023.

That changed in 2024. While Lawrence, whose season was cut short due to an elbow injury, didn’t finish in the top 20 among defensive linemen, both of the team’s starting outside linebackers, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, did, Burns finishing fourth (23%) and Thibodeaux 16th (17%).

As improved as the Giants' pass rush might have been last year, more work still needs to be done. The team will likely lose Azeez Ojulari in free agency, leaving the Giants with just Burns and Thibodeaux as their top options on the edge, not an ideal situation in terms of depth.

The Giants tied for sixth in total team sacks (45) in the 2024 season, up from the 34 they recorded in 2023.

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