2026
2026 season · Weeks 1 to 8 · 4-2-1
Giants defense
Every snap the Giants defended, what it cost them and how they got there: the league ranks the player pages quote, where offenses find room, how this defense plays, and who plays in it.
- How good+0.01 EPA a play allowed, 16th of 32, and 0.01 above what the offenses they faced usually manage (18th).
- How they playThey blitz on 42% of dropbacks, the 3rd-most in the league, and get pressure on 19%.
- Where offenses find roomOn the ground: 4.5 a carry, 24th, and runs outside right gain 6.4 a carry.
- Who hurt themDavante Adams (LA): 195 yards and +11.8 EPA on 10 touches, the most anyone has managed against them.
- Next upWeek 9 against the Eagles, whose offense ranks 31st in EPA a play.
How good is itthe defense against the league, and game by game
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA per playevery snap | +0.01 | 16th of 32 | 52nd | |
| Pass EPAper dropback | +0.06 | 18th of 32 | 45th | |
| Rush EPAper designed run | -0.07 | 21st of 32 | 36th | |
| Success rateplays that gain enough | 43% | 12th of 32 | 64th | |
| Explosive rate20+ pass, 10+ run | 10% | 18th of 32 | 45th | |
| Yards per play | 5.4 | 15th of 32 | 55th | |
| Yards per carry | 4.5 | 24th of 32 | 27th | |
| Third downsconverted against them | 40% | 13th of 32 | 61st |
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sack rateper dropback | 3.7% | 30th of 32 | 8th | |
| Pressure rateper dropback, PFR | 19% | 27th of 32 | 19th | |
| QB hit rateper dropback | 10% | 31st of 32 | 5th | |
| INT rateper dropback | 2.5% | 8th of 32 | 77th | |
| Red-zone TD ratetrips ending in a touchdown | 78% | 29th of 32 | 11th | |
| Points per drivetouchdown 7, field goal 3 | 1.99 | 16th of 32 | 52nd | |
| Takeawaysper game | 1.3 | 18th of 32 | 48th | |
| EPA against expectationallowed minus the offenses' usual | +0.01 | 18th of 32 | 45th |
Each bar is the league's 32 defenses; the marker is the Giants. Right is better for the defense, so a low EPA allowed sits right. The pressure rate is PFR's pressures (hurries, hits and sacks) per dropback. EPA against expectation compares each game with what that offense averaged in its other games, so a strong schedule is not held against them.
They held 3 of 7 offenses below their usual EPA a play. The biggest stop: Week 4 against the Cardinals, 0.26 a play under their norm. The offenses they have faced average 0.00 a play elsewhere, the 18th-toughest schedule of offenses.
vs DALW 28-20+0.22usual +0.08
at LAL 6-28+0.29usual +0.02
vs TENW 12-7-0.15usual -0.09
vs ARIW 36-24-0.25usual +0.01
at WAST 27-27+0.10usual -0.03
vs NOL 27-34-0.03usual -0.04
at HOUW 27-21-0.08usual +0.04Where offenses find roomthe field, the run lanes, the positions and the situations
The soft spot is short middle: +0.62 EPA a throw against a league +0.16. The lockdown zone is deep left, -0.58 a throw (league +0.34). Completions against them run 1.1 points under expected, 12th-best in the league.
Every pass they faced with a charted air distance and side, sacks excluded. Green is a zone where they allow less than the league, red more. How often shows the share of throws against them there.
Offenses run for 4.5 yards a carry against them, 24th of 32. The leak is outside right: 6.4 a carry and +0.15 EPA (league 4.6, +0.00).
| Position | Targets a game | Yards a game | EPA per target | Fantasy points allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide receivers | 18.417th | 126.97th | +0.087th-toughest | 20.915th-most26.215th-most31.615th-most |
| Tight ends | 8.124th | 44.78th | +0.048th-toughest | 6.59th-fewest9.411th-fewest12.311th-fewest |
| Backs, receiving | 3.61st | 20.65th | +0.1928th-toughest | 16.815th-fewest18.414th-fewest19.910th-fewest |
| Quarterbacks | – | – | – | 19.67th-most19.67th-most19.67th-most |
Who hurt them most
| Player | Team | Touches | Yards | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davante Adams | LA | 10 | 195 | 2 | +11.8 |
| CeeDee Lamb | DAL | 9 | 44 | 1 | +4.8 |
| Blake Corum | LA | 13 | 92 | +3.6 | |
| Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS | 11 | 82 | 1 | +3.4 |
| Chig Okonkwo | WAS | 6 | 60 | +3.3 | |
| Javonte Williams | DAL | 17 | 72 | 2 | +3.0 |
Targets, yards and EPA per target by the receiver's position, ranked 1st for the toughest defense: the same numbers a receiver's This week panel quotes against this defense. Fantasy points allowed follow the scoring switch. Who hurt them ranks every opposing player by EPA on his targets and carries against this defense.
Their biggest third-down edge is third-and-7+: offenses convert 23% against a league 27%. They are stingiest in the two-minute drill (-0.16 a play, league 0.00) and weakest in 2nd down (+0.08, league +0.00).
| Situation | Plays | Allowed | League | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st down | 180 | +0.03 | +0.02 | +0.02 |
| 2nd down | 141 | +0.08 | +0.00 | +0.07 |
| 3rd down | 83 | -0.10 | -0.04 | -0.06 |
| 3rd and 1 to 3 | 19 | 74% | 61% | +13 pts |
| 3rd and 4 to 6 | 24 | 42% | 44% | −2 pts |
| 3rd and 7+ | 40 | 23% | 27% | −4 pts |
| Red zone | 60 | +0.04 | +0.03 | +0.01 |
| Two-minute drill | 74 | -0.16 | 0.00 | -0.16 |
| When they lead | 196 | -0.03 | +0.01 | -0.03 |
| One-score game | 299 | -0.03 | -0.01 | -0.02 |
| When they trail by 9+ | 57 | -0.06 | +0.03 | -0.10 |
EPA a play allowed, or for third downs the share converted (a first down or a touchdown). Green is better than the league for the defense. Score states are from the defense's side.
How they playpressure, the box, what offenses try, discipline
They send extra rushers on 42% of dropbacks and average 4.5 rushers; 58% of dropbacks see four or fewer. They allow -0.14 EPA when they blitz and +0.19 when they do not.
They put 6.9 defenders in the box on runs, eight or more on 16%. Into a light box (six or fewer) runs gain 4.6 a carry; into eight or more, 5.0.
Offenses lean on the run against them: 9 points under their expected pass rate on early downs in a neutral game. Play action gains +0.11 EPA against them on 21% of throws; screens -0.43.
18 defensive penalties for 215 yards, 15 of them first downs, the 7th-fewest. They miss 10% of tackle attempts by PFR's count, 26th-best.
The defenderswho plays, and what each one has done
Abdul Carter leads the pass rush with 10 pressures and 2 sacks on 88% of the snaps.
| Player | Snaps | Pressures | Sacks | QB hits | TFL | Tackles | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3Abdul CarterLB | 88% | 10 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 18 | 1 |
| 98DJ ReaderDT | 57% | 2 | 2 | 1 | 22 | ||
| 93Shelby HarrisDE | 53% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 | ||
| 91Darius AlexanderDT | 37% | 3 | 0.5 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 57Chauncey GolstonDE | 30% | 12 | |||||
| 0Brian BurnsLB | 28% | 5 | 2 | 4 | |||
| 48Trace FordLB | 15% | 1 | 10 | ||||
| 97Bobby Jamison-TravisDT | 9% | 5 | |||||
| 99Basil OkoyeDT | 0% | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Arvell Reese plays 99% of the snaps with 55 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
| Player | Snaps | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | Pressures | Targets | Rating allowed | Missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52Arvell ReeseLB | 99% | 55 | 5 | 1.5 | 5 | 26 | 75.4 | 3 |
| 49Tremaine EdmundsMLB | 86% | 50 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 109.9 | 2 |
| 5Kayvon ThibodeauxLB | 73% | 15 | 4 | 4 | 75.0 | 4 | ||
| 41Micah McFaddenLB | 15% | 13 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 120.2 | 1 | |
| 53Jihad WardLB | 9% | 1 | ||||||
| 46Zaire BarnesLB | 1% | 11 | ||||||
| 54Malik HarrisonLB | 1% | 5 |
Jevon Holland is the hardest to complete a pass against: a 51.2 passer rating on 19 targets.
| Player | Snaps | Targets | Catches allowed | Yards | TD | Rating allowed | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8Jevon HollandSAF | 86% | 19 | 7 of 19 | 121 | 1 | 51.2 | 3 | 5 |
| 20Greg Newsome IICB | 78% | 29 | 16 of 29 | 193 | 66.2 | 1 | 6 | |
| 22Andru PhillipsDB | 70% | 24 | 13 of 24 | 113 | 1 | 77.6 | 2 | |
| 2Deonte BanksCB | 69% | 32 | 17 of 32 | 149 | 4 | 83.1 | 1 | 10 |
| 27Tyler NubinSAF | 48% | 18 | 9 of 18 | 163 | 79.8 | 3 | ||
| 25Jason PinnockSAF | 37% | 7 | 3 of 7 | 67 | 1 | 85.4 | 2 | |
| 24Ar'Darius WashingtonSAF | 31% | 10 | 8 of 10 | 75 | 88.1 | |||
| 12Colton HoodCB | 29% | 13 | 10 of 13 | 102 | 3 | 129.3 | ||
| 21Paulson AdeboCB | 17% | 5 | 3 of 5 | 24 | 77.9 |
Tackles, sacks, QB hits, TFL, interceptions, passes defended and forced fumbles are nflverse's weekly stats; pressures, targets, catches and yards allowed, passer rating allowed and missed tackles are PFR's charting. Snap share is the season average of defensive snaps.