Commanders vs Giants Preview: Giants Pass Rush

Previewing the challenges presented by the Giants formidable pass rush unit

The Washington Commanders will face as stern a test as they’ll face all season when it comes to trying to block the New York Giants defensive front on Sunday. The Giants have built a very strong defensive line that can rival any defensive line unit in the NFL. Dexter Lawrence is one of the premier defensive tackles in the league, while they also have a stable of edge rushers that all come with significant threats. Brian Burns is one of the more consistent sack artists in the NFL and is the big name on the edge for them, but they also have two younger pass rushers that shouldn’t be overlooked.

The Giants used their third overall pick on Abdul Carter out of Penn State. Carter has been often compared to Micah Parsons in play style and he gives the Giants a versatile piece that can rush from multiple spots. In the preseason, we already saw glimpses of the threat Carter brings to the Giants defense.

In the Giants preseason game against the Bills, we see Carter working against Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins, one of the better left tackles in the NFL over the last decade. Dawkins gets out of his stance quickly off the snap, gaining lots of width to try and cut off Carter’s speed rush. After cutting off the speed, he attempts to gain more depth, but Carter spots a gap inside. Carter shows his quickness to change direction and suddenly burst inside, using a swipe to knock down Dawkins hands and get a step on him inside. Dawkins does his best to recover but Carter breaks through and pressures the quarterback immediately, forcing the quarterback to take evasive action to avoid being sacked.

The Commanders will feel confident in left tackle Laremy Tunsil and rookie right tackle Josh Conerly working against Carter. Tunsil is one of the top left tackles in the league while Conerly faced off against Carter in college and held his own. But Carter shows here he’s capable of giving any tackle issues with his quickness, even tackles as accomplished as Dawkins.

It’s not just Carter and Burns you have to watch out for on the edge either. The Giants also have Kayvon Thibodeaux that they drafted with the fifth overall pick back in 2022. He had a bit of a down year last season but is a very dangerous rusher in his own right.

Here we see Thibodeaux working against Jets rookie tackle Armond Membou, who was the seventh overall pick back in April’s draft. Thibedeaux, like Carter and Burns, offers a significant speed threat off the edge and begins his rush working up the field. Membou responds by oversetting to the edge to try and handle that speed, but he leaves a big gap inside. Thibodeaux spots that gap and is athletic enough to adjust his path inside without losing momentum. He skips by Membou with ease and closes in quickly on the quarterback, who is forced to dump the ball off to the running back on a checkdown to avoid the sack.

So the Giants have a lot of highly talented individuals on that defensive line. Lawrence, Burns, Thibodeaux and Carter are a handful for any offensive line and not many teams in the league can claim to rival that level of quality on their defensive line. When put together, the Giants can boast a formidable rush package with all of them on the field at the same time.