Changes Giants May Make on Defense vs. Eagles

What might the Giants defense have planned for the Eagles this weekend? Brandon Olsen lays it out.

New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is known for his uber-aggressive defense that plays man coverage on the back end and throws everything, including the kitchen sink, at you in the front seven.

That strategy works, especially the first time playing a team when they have to adjust on the fly because while Martindale has always been a blitz-happy play-caller, he’s also one of the most creative blitz designers. Hence, offenses know they’re going to get blitzed, but they don’t know from where.

Postseason Tendency Changes

Historically, Martindale has made drastic adjustments to his defensive scheme for the playoffs, and that was no different in the Wild Card round against the Minnesota Vikings. With the Baltimore Ravens in 2020, which was his second-to-last season in Baltimore but the last time he made the playoffs with them, Wink did the same thing.

In 2020, the Ravens frequently used players like Chris Board, Patrick Queen, and Chuck Clark as off-ball blitzers, rushing on 34.6%, 18.9%, and 9.2%, respectively, during the regular season. Fast forward to the playoffs; those numbers dropped to 30.8%, 11.9%, and 1.4%.

In the week 16 matchup against the Vikings, Martindale used Tony Jefferson, Jaylon Smith, and Darnay Holmes as off-ball rushers on 34.8%, 16.7%, and 10%, respectively. However, in the wild card rematch, Jefferson was used as a rusher on 9.5% of his snaps, with Smith and Holmes not being used as rushers a single time.

Martindale shifts more towards a Cover 4 or Cover 6 approach on the back end than playing Cover 0 or Cover 1.

Cover 4, often referred to as “Quarters,” is a four-deep, three-under coverage that allows for safety help over the top on outside receivers. The outside corners are tasked with playing outside-shaded coverage on outside receivers (should they run vertically) or playing an outside quarter zone if the receiver cuts inside. 

If the receiver does run vertically, then one of the safeties can rotate over to double that receiver. In Cover 6, the defense plays Cover 4 on the strong side of the offense, with Cover 2 on the weak side.

Eagles Matchup

Against the Eagles, expect to see plenty of both Cover 4 and Cover 6. Not only are those coverages what Martindale shifts towards in the postseason, but it’s also possibly the most effective way to defend the Eagles offense.

Perhaps the most difficult thing about game-planning against the Eagles is how often they run RPOs to the flats and how often they also run vertically with AJ Brown specifically. For that reason, Cover 6 should be the weapon of choice for Martindale, where he allows one side of the field to be able to cover the flat in the RPO game and allows the other side to bracket whoever is lined up on the outside, whether it’s AJ Brown or DeVonta Smith.

Given that the Eagles have already played the Giants twice this season and are comfortable with the blitz-happy style of Martindale, going to a more conservative approach should throw a wrench into the Eagles’ offensive game plan.

One thing I would expect to see, however, is still the occasional blitz from a slot corner, as it hit home for a sack once in each of the two regular season matchups, once from Zyon Gilbert and once from Nick McCloud.

Given Martindale’s history as a defensive play-caller and the matchup, expect to see more zone coverage than the Giants have played all season and less frequent blitzing. Why Martindale makes these drastic changes in the playoffs is an interesting thought: is it because his opponent has a season's worth of tape on his team, so he tries to throw his opponent off? Is it because he doesn’t want to take the same big-play risks in win-or-go-home situations?

Whatever the reasoning, it’s what Martindale has done throughout his career, and for this specific matchup, it’s likely the right call to continue that game plan.

It’s also important to note that throughout this season, the Eagles offense has had some of their worst performances against teams who sit back in coverage and make the Eagles make plays. The Colts and Commanders (twice) held the Eagles below their season-scoring averages by sitting back in coverage. Even the Vikings horrid defense slowed down the Eagles offense while Kirk Cousins turned the ball over incessantly.

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