Week 11 Defensive & Special Teams Player Reviews: Giants Defense Fails to Protect Another Lead

Let's look at the individual player performances on defense and special teams from the Giants' Week 11 27-20 loss to the Packers.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (9) catches the ball during a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, Nov 16, 2025, East Rutherford, NJ, USA. | Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New York Giants defense did it again. 

Big Blue came up small in the fourth quarter of its 27-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the defense yet again failing to protect the lead. 

While this time around it wasn’t as bad as the collapse in Denver, given that the Packers at times looked ready to give the game to the Giants on a silver platter, the fact that the Giants continue to have breakdowns, particularly against the run, is disturbing.

Let’s get into this week’s player-by-player review for the defense and special teams.

Defensive Line

New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

⏹ Dexter Lawrence

The double-teams are still being schemed Lawrence’s way, and his defensive coordinator still can’t find ways to scheme Lawrence a few single teams, even on passing downs.  

Still, Lawrence managed to crash the pocket a half dozen times this week, laying two humongous hits on the GB (to no avail).  There are times when Lawrence does look a step slow in pursuit, and others where he simply overwhelms his solo blocking.  

Then there are the goal-line plays where Lawrence was triple-teamed (this week) and not a single LB came up to fill, leaving Lawrence alone. 

⏹ Roy Robertson-Harris

This veteran continued his second-half surge with another solid game that included two solos in the run game, several power pass rushes to collapse the pocket, several pressures, and one very heavy hit on the Packers quarterback in the pocket.  

Robertson-Harris was the defense’s second most impactful pit player this week.

⏹ D.J. Davidson

Getting his usual share of rotation snaps over the nose, Davidson had as uneventful a game as we’ve seen from him of late.  

He was pushed around by the double teams in the red zone without putting up much of a fight.

⏹ Darius Alexander

Getting a few more snaps with Rakeem Nunez-Roches inactive once again, Alexander did manage to work himself into two tackles and always seems to get his name on the stat sheet.  

However, we’re not seeing enough suddenness or power out of him.  He held up well to several double-teams, but for the most part, he faced solo blocking and allowed himself to be neutralized much too easily.

⏹ Elijah Chatman

Elevated from the practice squad for this week’s game, Chatman got his fair share of snaps as a third defensive tackle and did absolutely nothing with them but absorb a solo block or two, making zero plays and zero impact.  

Outside Linebackers

Nov 16, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) throws a touchdown pass against New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

⏹Brian Burns

Somehow running his way into two more sacks this week – shows you what the rewards of hard work and hustle are in life – Burns produced another impactful game even without the two sacks.  

He knocked away another pass, he made several pursuit tackles against the run, he led the defense with four total hits on the quarterback, and his five tackles led the front seven.  

The desire and hustle that Burns plays with every time he’s on the field is enough to inspire big things in others.

⏹ Abdul Carter

The Burns inspiration hasn’t quite reached this rookie’s head, which is still spinning while he tries to figure out his place in this league.  

Carter is still creating a handful of pressures every week – a first-quarter inside pass rush right into the face of the quarterback was as heavy a hit he took all day – but the ball still came out quickly. 

Until this defense finds a way to jump on these short routes that beat Carter to the quarterback every week, Carter’s going to continue to be frustrated.  

He was also exploited on his edge this week, a big third-down designed run for the backup quarterback that completely fooled Carter.  

Of note, Carter was benched for the first series for reportedly missing a team walkthrough on Saturday.

⏹ Tomon Fox

Getting Carter’s start (with Kayvon Thibodeaux inactive), Fox played about 20 snaps.  

The best thing he did was hold his edge, but nothing came his way.  He did not close on any runs.

Inside Linebackers 

New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke | David Banks-Imagn Images

⏹ Bobby Okereke

We thought Okereke played one of his more impactful games between the tackles this week, and it showed up on the stat sheet with a team-leading seven tackles.  

Okereke made a couple of big fills near the goal line, but he rarely attacked the line of scrimmage, playing more of a contain game than an aggressive one.  He was a liability outside the tackle boxes and in coverage once again, as his mobility and agility in space seem to have him compromised.

⏹Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles 

Getting another start at inside linebacker – expect him to finish out the year as a starter there – Flannigan-Fowles contributed with five tackles and some decent power fills.

However, he also was nowhere to be seen on one of those Dexter Lawrence triple-teams as Flannigan-Fowles took a wrong gap and watched the Packers score much too easily.  

That’s the problem with this defense: they just constantly make it much too easy for the opposition to make plays.  

Flannigan-Fowles was also robbed of a turnover by the officials when his tight coverage forced a fumble that he himself recovered, but the play was overturned upstairs.   

Defensive Backs

Nov 16, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson (23) scores a touchdown against New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (2) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

⏹Cor’Dale Flott

Proving yet again that he is a helluva CB2, Flott made a handful of impact tackles and covers (he actually forced a fumble by a tight end), but a couple of big losses trying to cover Green Bay’s solid receiving corps.  

Flott was able to stay in talented Christian Watson’s hip pocket whenever matched up there, discouraging throws in his direction. Still, on the biggest non-play of the game by a Giant, Flott failed to react to a floater over his head that was caught by a rookie receiver for a killer 33 yards.  

This play came on 3rd-and-10 with the Giants clinging to a 1-point lead with 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter.  It was a play that had to be made if you want to call yourself a starting corner in this league, but Flott did not make the play on the ball (it hung up there forever), and the Packers were scoring their go-ahead touchdown a short time later. 

⏹Deonte Banks

Getting one of the two starts at the corner, thanks to Paulson Adebo being a last-minute scratch, Banks spent his time on the field avoiding contact as often as humanly possible.  

Some of his coverages were the snaps that engender hope in this talented player, but the more you watch him play, the more you see him continue to fail to react to the ball in the air.  

Banks appeared to be benched late in the game.  He was burned in the first half by a Christian Watson's unbelievable catch in the end zone from a backup quarterback, with Banks draped all over Watson, but Banks also had given up the inside positioning to the wideout.  

Banks’ lone tackle came when he ushered a running back out of bounds

⏹Dru Phillips

Getting his fair share of snaps in the slot, Phillips lost a handful of coverages and got in on only one tackle.  

It was one of Phillips’ lesser games of the year.  He also had to fill several inside holes against the run, a job usually left to the inside linebackers on this team.

⏹Korie Black

The good news about this raw rookie is that he usually has good positioning in his press coverage and usually turns back to look for the ball.  

The bad news is that he hasn’t yet figured out how to finish these plays.  He needs to get a whole lot stronger if he’s going to make it in this league.  Black was beaten for the winning touchdown by big-play wideout Christian Watson, which is nothing to be ashamed about, and a match-up that hopefully the coaches weren’t expecting the rookie to win.  

Black’s positioning was good, but he was easily out-muscled with the ball in the air.  

In limited snaps, Black managed one tackle on which he appeared to injure a hand and left the game, but he returned in the second half, only to get matched up on Watson for the touchdown.

⏹Nic Jones

Stepping in for Banks for a handful of snaps, Jones did well to mirror Watson one-on-one on a go route, and got credit for a pass defensed when Watson could not come down with the ball, helped by a slight tug on Watson’s arm by Jones. 

⏹Jevon Holland

Playing his second game since returning from a leg injury, Holland moved well throughout and once again had to watch while the opposition went away from him on practically every snap.  

Holland finished with five total tackles and a ton of solid deep coverage, but he was helpless to assist his young corners when they were asked to play a ton of press away from his side of the field.

⏹Dane Belton

Sticking his nose into every possible action on the football field, you are as likely to see Belton playing deep coverage as you are to see him pulling himself up from the bottom of a pile at the goal line.  

Putting together another solid 7-tackle game, Belton seems to play the position the way it’s supposed to be played.  The more he’s out there, the faster he seems to process and finish.  

His lone blemish was a questionable pass interference penalty called on him when he was a step late to turn and run, and didn’t turn his head for the ball till after he bumped the receiver.  

One official allowed the play, and another threw the flag.  It's like when you’re playing on a losing team, you never get the benefit of an official’s call.

Special Teams 

⏹Younghoe Koo

Signed to the roster this week, it appears as if the veteran Koo will be this team’s placekicker for the rest of the year.  

In windy conditions this week, Koo was a solid performer.  The conditions were so bad that no field goal was attempted.  

Both teams elected to go for it on fourth down rather than kicking a field goal.  The Packers' kicker missed two extra points.  

Koo actually missed one also, but only when a personal foul negated his converted extra point, forcing him to re-kick it from the 48-yard line.  

Koo was solid on his three kickoffs, keeping them in play and forcing the Packers to return each one; only two reached the 30-yard line.  He also kicked one touchback.

⏹Jamie Gillan

Following up on his disaster of a kicking game last week, Gillan had two punts this week.  Neither one was fielded on the fly–one was downed with a healthy roll, while the other one was returned 13 yards, but a GB penalty brought it all the way back to the GB16.  

That, ladies and gentlemen, was Gillan’s most productive use of his foot in two weeks.  

He did perform yeoman duties as a holder on place kicks.  

Whereas Gillan’s punts were uninspiring, the Packers punter’s two second-half punts flipped the field position for his team – a 60-yarder out of bounds, and a 61-yarder from his own 21-yard line.  

This is how a punter can help his team.

⏹Casey Kreiter 

Also performing yeoman duties in this week’s difficult conditions, all of Kreiter’s deep snaps were on the mark. 

⏹Gunner Olszewski

Dealing with this week’s challenging conditions led to Olszewski getting a single punt return for 17 yards. 

⏹Deonte Banks

Returning all four of the team’s kickoffs this week, Banks got two of them out past the 30, while on the other two, he ran right into a cover guy, absorbing heavy hits.  

Fortunately, he was able to absorb the hit and hold onto the ball. 

⏹Rico Payton

Getting some gunner snaps on punts, Payton looked quick and fast but not particularly physical.  

However, Payton did make a big hit on the Giants' first kickoff coverage of the day and really blew up the play, but he bounced off the hit and did not get credit for the big play, at least on the stat sheet.

⏹Nic Jones

Jones retained his gunner job on punts and continued to work his way to the ball smartly, always taking good angles.  His name did not make it onto the stat sheet, however.

⏹Zaire Barnes

Barnes got in on two more special teams tackles this week, one on a punt coverage and one on a kickoff.  Barnes was also the guilty party by whiffing on his block on one of the two big hits that Banks took on kickoffs.

⏹Dalen Cambre

Elevated from the practice squad this week, we were surprised that we didn’t see Cambre on either of the two punt coverages, especially as a gunner.  

Cambre did show up on kickoff coverages, though, getting in on two tackles and showing a good nose for the ball. 

⏹Tomon Fox

Besides his start on defense this week, Fox always finds a way to make a special teams tackle and get his name on the stat sheet.  

His legit power base makes him particularly valuable in the middle of the field, where he can absorb traffic.

⏹Austin Schlottmann

The weekly comical call by the officials this week came on a Giants' extra point attempt when Schlottmann, lined up to the left of center, leaned slightly right at the snap, lost his balance a bit, and leaned into the Packer player across from him.  

Nobody fell or was hurt, yet the player complained to the official, begging for a call because, hey, you never know. Sure enough, the official threw the flag for–get this–a chop block. 

The Giants had to re-kick from the 48-yard line and missed. By the way, on the same penalty play, Giants deep-snapper Casey Kreiter was buried under two Packers players, and yet that wasn’t called. Go figure, right?

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