NY Giants Week 3 Defensive Player Review: Still a Little Sloppy

It’s only three games in, but isn’t it interesting that the New York Giants defense, which many thought would be a top-15 pass-rushing unit, manages to get pressure, but nothing significant ever comes of it?

We’re talking turnovers, obviously, and the Giants had a chance in this week’s game to pounce on a loose ball deep in Kansas City territory only to lose out on the opportunity.

We’re also talking about two dropped interceptions credited to Paulson Adebo, coming off the pressure of Mahomes.

The defense wasn’t the problem this week. No, it wasn’t perfect, but right now it’s the lesser of the evils haunting this Giants team.

Here’s our breakdown of the defensive players and the special teams notables.

Defensive Line

New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II (97), defensive tackle Jordon Riley (95), and defensive end Elijah Garcia (90) | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• Dexter Lawrence: It’s three games into the season, and Lawrence has yet to make his mark, or in fact any kind of statement.

He’s getting swallowed up by double-teams on passing downs, while he’s holding up in the run game to an extent, but he’s hardly dominating out there.

He did manage to lay the heaviest hit on Patrick Mahomes this week with a hard-charging pocket collapse right in his grill late in the game, and also another hit on the quarterback, but he’s still a step slow off the mark, and managed just one measly assist on this week’s stat sheet.

It’s not like Lawrence is just standing around out there taking up space, but he’s set such a high standard, and through three games, he’s been a shadow of that player.

He doesn’t appear to be playing injured, though he did dislocate his elbow last November, which required surgery, which may have affected his preparation for the season, and in fact, he may not be fully healed.

That’s a lot of suppositions, but to these eyes, the elbow is the only logical explanation for his slow start to this season.

• Roy Robertson-Harris: Through three games, this veteran pickup at defensive tackle has failed to make his mark. This week, we thought the game just looked too fast for Robertson-Harris, who simply could not shed a solo block and get in the play to save his life.

With Lawrence attracting so much attention, it’s up to others to pick up the slack and capitalize on the reduced attention.

If solo-blocking is going to be enough to handle Robertson-Harris, then this defense has a big problem. Rakeem Nunez-Roches, inactive this week, has never been the answer, but it’s incumbent upon this organization to pair up with Lawrence, who can not only complement him but also make some stops.

• Darius Alexander: We liked what we saw out of Alexander this week, specifically on the pass rush.

The rookie consistently pushed upfield, extending his arms to keep his blocker away from his body, and then worked through that contact to shed and collapse.

He got himself into pocket position on several occasions this week, but trying to hogtie Patrick Mahomes is near impossible for a 300-pounder to do.

Interestingly, Alexander is playing better against better opposition now than he did throughout the preseason, where he really struggled. It looks like he’s using his hands to separate and his lower body to navigate space.

He’s got a presence out there. He needs to be tougher to play against while defending the running game.

He’s got some space talent in his game, but needs to keep his opponent’s hands off his body.

He’s getting better each week. Let’s hope the progression continues, because this defense is starving for an interior presence.

• D.J. Davidson: Getting the nose snaps whenever Lawrence leaves the field, Davidson’s name did not show up on the stat sheet.

He managed to apply bull rush pressure, but also faded into Alexander's path on several other pass rush snaps, which mucked things up.

Four years into his NFL career, and we’re still not sure what the Giants have in this wide body. Through three games, he has yet to register a tackle.

If he’s eating up blockers, then more the better, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

• Elijah Garcia: Rewarded with his third (and final) elevation from the practice squad, Garcia contributed with two tackles on his limited snaps.

Talk about getting bang for your buck–Garcia’s really giving the Giants all that they asked for, and more. Look for him to be added to the roster soon, as his run-stopping ability is as consistent as the day is long.

Outside Linebackers

Sep 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) passes against New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) in the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

• Brian Burns: Making plays all over the field, Burns was once again this defense’s best player, as he has been through the first two games. Early on, Burns drew a big holding call off an edge rush to negate a first down.

He knocked down two passes, had six total tackles, forced a fumble, and recorded one of the defense’s two sacks on the ever-elusive Mahomes.

Burns, who hurt his knee, made key plays collapsing the pocket off the edge, ran down running plays, and made plays in coverage, closing down passing lanes. He also led by example with his constant hustle and intensity.

He really is doing it all right now and is, without a doubt, this defense’s leader.

• Kayvon Thibodeaux: Also playing at a high level, Thibodeaux was getting consistent pressure around the edge with his pass rush, and was also a consistent physical contain force closing down his edge against the run.

We’ve never seen him play such a physical game before. Why it took him so long to see the light (this is his fourth year, but the first year he’s actually playing a physical game) is a discussion for another time, but right now, his presence on the edge is constant as it is physical.

He’s always in attack mode, and it's disruptive. He just missed two sacks this week with those edge wins. He’s getting into the backfield.

Though he only finished with two tackles this week, he’s passing the eye test with flying colors. Thibodeaux is playing at the top of his game. If there’s more to come, so be it.

• Abdul Carter: With all the inside linebacker injuries, the coaches moved this rookie into this off-linebacker role and played him there for a significant part of this week’s game.

He mostly blitzed from there instead of reading and reacting; we like that it’s keeping him attack-oriented. He finished with a productive four tackles, one of them in the backfield, and he produced several breathtaking pass rushes from the inside that you’ll ever see.

Carter did well to shadow Mahomes on some key snaps, but he failed to finish one of his scramble pursuits, allowing Mahomes to not only elude him but fling it far downfield for a huge play.

Carter was dynamic at times, but he also got swallowed up by traffic. We like that he’s not afraid of contact and sticks his nose into these piles without hesitation.

We’d also like to see him finishing more often. His four tackles this week are a good start. He plays an honest game and reminds us of Brian Burns.

• Tomon Fox: Signed from the practice squad for this week’s game (Chauncy Golston was inactive), Fox got a fair amount of snaps and did nothing with them. He wasn’t physical, he didn’t contain well, and he was useless on the pass rush.

Inside Linebackers

Sep 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants inside linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) and safety Jevon Holland (8) and cornerback Paulson Adebo (21) tackle Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Nikko Remigio (81) in the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

• Bobby Okereke: Leading the defense once again with eight tackles this week, we thought Okereke had moments where he was more physical than he showed in the first two weeks.

But there were also so many misses in pass coverage where he looked slow and creaky that we remain convinced that he’s playing with an ailment that is holding him back.

This week’s biggest play was the backwards pass that Okereke had his hands on and was picking up to take it into the end zone, when Patrick Mahomes ripped it out of his hands and recovered it.

How could Okereke allow Mahomes to take away that ball? It was the absolute difference in this game. If Okereke had only fallen on the ball, the possession would have set up the offense to score, deep in Chiefs territory.

Instead, Mahomes led a drive for a field goal and a 9-6 halftime lead when the Giants deserved to be on the right side of the score.

• Swayze Bozeman: Picked up several weeks ago when all the linebacker injuries hit, Bozeman got himself snaps this week at inside linebacker and never once looked overmatched out there.

He ran well in space, assisted on one tackle, and was never required to make a hit between the tackles. All of his snaps seemed to come outside the tackle box.

Bozeman is not a big linebacker, and we’re not sure he’s got enough physicality to play the position consistently, but his mobility sure looks legit.

Defensive Backs

Sep 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants cornerback Paulson Adebo (21) breaks up a pass against Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (80) in the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

• Paulson Adebo: When you’re the defense’s CB1, you can’t be out there dropping interceptions, two of which Adebo did this week.

We give credit for being in position to pick off those balls, but the good ones know how to finish off plays, and both of these failures came on deep balls where Adebo seems at his best.

Adebo tracks the deep ball well and seems to know how to avoid contact while contesting these balls, but this secondary is so bad at turning the ball over that we wonder if that was one of Adebo’s requirements when signed this offseason.

He’s less sticky on the short throws, the slants, and the outs, which is where he picks up his heavy tackle totals (7 this week).

He’s around the ball an awful lot and is alert and quick to react in help situations, which is another reason why his tackle totals are consistently high, week after week.

We wouldn’t say the Giants are disappointed in his CB1 play; it’s just that turnovers are such a huge part of winning in this league, and Adebo knows how to get himself into position; he just doesn’t know how to finish.

• Cor’dale Flott: For most of this week’s game, we were wondering if Flott was playing–that’s how little the Chiefs were going after him.

Eventually, even Flott received some of the tough-to-defend attention that Mahomes and company had thrown at everybody.

Flott held up well as he did in the first two games, finishing with three tackles and a ton of smart and sticky coverage.

We like his disciplined play and his aggressiveness in closing on balls in front of him.

• Deonte Banks: With each passing week, we’re seeing a few more glimpses of playmaking that this former first-round pick has been unable to produce through two seemingly lost seasons.

Keeping Banks on a kind of pitch count out there and limiting his responsibilities is allowing his talent to flow once again, and does he ever have talent.

His pass breakup on a deep crosser this week was impressive, but he also inexplicably left his man in coverage to double another player, giving up a 20+ completion, when he should have been in that man’s pocket.

All of this occurred after he couldn’t get lined up right. The mental aspect is a significant part of this game. Let’s hope this youngster can find a way to elevate his mental approach, which remains quite a challenge.

• Dru Phillips: Talk about a need for improved mental approach, this talented youngster’s entire game needs a mental transfusion.

Phillips’ pre-snap reads and positioning consistently give up easy completions. He’s got a big circle on his chest out there because he’s such a liability.

Phillips is trending very close to Darnay Holmes territory with all the sticky and grabby calls that he’s constantly drawing. Illegal contact on 2nd-and-18. Illegal contact on 3rd-and-10. Pass interference for 50 yards on the very next snap.

Phillips’ opponents smell blood in the water whenever he’s isolated out there. He may make some nice tackles (5 more this week), especially behind the line of scrimmage.

Downfield, he’s become a real liability for this defense, and unless he ups his mental approach to this game, the Sharks are going to keep on circling.

He needs to improve his pre-snap awareness and recognize patterns more effectively. He seems too content to rely on his athleticism.

On the touchdown he allowed, he was beaten at the line of scrimmage, where he doesn’t seem to know how to jam. He constantly puts himself in trail positions, but he lacks the arm length and/or the spatial awareness to close and make plays on the ball.

We love this player’s toughness and tenacity, but eventually smarts have to come into play as well. This kid has talent, but he’s got a long way to go before hitting his ceiling.

Right now, he’s below average due to the yardage he gives up and the mistakes he makes.

• Jevon Holland: We were hoping for a bit more playmaking from this addition to the Giants' secondary.

Holland is not a negative player by any means. His five tackles this week, mostly alert and solid short zone coverage, and contain were positives this week, but we’re still waiting for the game-changing plays that nobody in this secondary seems capable of making.

We like how he’s able to line up the youngsters out there when they get confused, but this vanilla defense may not quite be what the doctor ordered when he signed with the Giants.

We doubt the defensive coordinator is long for this team. Let’s hope the next one up isn’t afraid to let these players attack.

• Tyler Nubin: There was an early missed tackle in space by Nubin, a problem that he needs to continue to address, but then there were the big plays.

Nubin’s coverage on Travis Kelce going deep was suffocating; too bad he never turned around for the ball because it hit him in the back for the incompletion.

Nubin made another big play when his read on a tight end screen was so tight that he arrived at the same time as the ball in the backfield for a loss of 4 yards.

The kid finished with five total tackles while manning mostly the deep zones, but again, the big plays are lacking, and the footwork in space needs improvement. That deep coverage against Kelce, though, was an impressive play.

• Dane Belton: Getting his subpackage snaps with the defense, Belton contributed with two smart positioning tackles while defending the short zones in and around the line of scrimmage, but he was beaten in coverage a couple of times by the Chiefs' tight ends for easy completions.

Special Teams

New York Giants place kicker Graham Gano | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

• Graham Gano: The Giants' elder statesman injured a groin in pre-game warmups and was not available to attempt any lengthy kicks. The injury forced the coaches to pass up a 45-goal-attempt on the offense’s opening drive and instead go for it on 4th-and-3, which failed.

This 38-year-old placekicker simply cannot stay healthy, and he carries a pretty hefty cap hit.

Obviously, it’s time to start making alternate plans here, but this organization has an extremely difficult time moving on from someone they perceive to be a good soldier.

Who knows how long they’ll stay with Gano, but the writing is on the wall, even if the team’s brass can’t read it.

After Gano’s backup, Jamie Gillan, completely flubbed an extra point, Gano managed to kick a 25-yard field goal, which made it a one-score game.

The obvious pain from this kick might have pushed back his healing process a couple of weeks, but either way, this is the third year in a row Gano has broken down due to a lower-body injury.

• Jamie Gillan: Gillan’s first punt of the night was a sub-par pooch punt that was downed at the 18-yard line.

Whenever this punter goes back to punt, nobody knows what to expect. Gillan is the dictionary definition of inconsistent.

On his first extra point attempt of the night (signaling that Gano wasn’t going to chance even walking onto the field and hurting something else), Gillan’s kick was low and it was blocked, leaving the coaches little choice but to pass up any further kicks and go for it, no matter the down or distance.

To his credit, Gillan’s kickoffs were positive. His only other punt of the night was nearly blocked, but of course, he did not have the wherewithal to flop and make it look like roughing.

And oh, wouldn’t it be nice if every so often, when the chance is there to pin the opponent inside its 10-yard line, the punter took advantage of it?

• Casey Kreiter: Kreiter seems like the only long-standing player who is worthy of the 1-year contract that he signs every year. His snaps were once again pristine.

• Gunner Olszewski: Olszewski returned two punts for 17 yards in his inimitable north-south style, absorbing hits without wince. He also served as the holder when Gillan had to place-kick.

• Devin Singletary: Singletary was schemed by the team to return all five kickoffs this week, and he did not disappoint. He brought several of his returns past the 30-yard line, which is solid production.

His ball security was sublime. Singletary ran with vision and attacked the coverage with speed.

• Art Green: Once again with the starting strongside gunner spot, Green made the lone punt coverage tackle this week with an alert double-back of an off-kilter punt.

Green also finished a kickoff tackle with physicality. He’s making a name for himself as a special teamer.

He has the size-speed equivalency, and he’s showing himself to be a smart player as well.

• Nic Jones: Manning the other gunner spot, Jones always finds himself around the ball on both punt and kickoff coverage.

He plays with his eyes open, showing good instinct.

• Neville Hewitt: Having been picked up off the street to add depth at linebacker, the 32-year-old Hewitt is entering his 11th NFL season, and did he ever impress on kickoff coverage this week.

He finished off two solo tackles with physical wrap-up hits, showing plenty of speed and agility that was not expected of someone off the street.

Hewitt’s got a lot of pelts on his wall, including 59 tackles in 4 starts last year with Houston.

He also has a 134-tackle season with the Jets on his resume. He sure looked healthy and agile out there this week.

We’d be surprised if he wasn’t tried with the defense this week, given his extensive experience.

This defense is dying for a smart head or two who can still play a little. It sure looks like Hewitt still has some juice left in his tank.

• Dane Belton: Usually, we reserve this spot for the deserved praise that Belton rarely gets, but this week, he whiffed on a fullback punt team block that nearly got a punt blocked.

It was a rare mistake by this young vet, who has been so good on specials.

Even this week, he was around the ball on several kickoff tackles. He really knows how to play the angles with a nice mix of discipline and aggressiveness.

What happens next with the NY Giants? Find out! Follow and like us on Facebook. Visit our YouTube channel for the latest videos. Want to send a question in for our mailbag? You can do so here.

Defensive Line

Outside Linebackers

Inside Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

More New York Giants Coverage