Giants Pass Rushers Drop in New Ranking--But Is It Justified?

New York Giants edge rusher Brian Burns and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence both fell in PFF's top defender rankings ahead of Week 5. However, a deeper look at the data suggests they haven't been as bad as PFF seems to believe.

Sep 26, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, US; New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) rushes Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Terence Steele (78) off the line of scrimmage at MetLife Stadium. / Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New York Giants pass rush was considered a major strength heading into the year to the point where it was ranked among the league's best in preseason rankings thanks to the addition of Brian Burns from the Panthers to a unit that already had Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Interestingly, Pro Football Focus, in its ranking of the top defenders ahead of Week 5, dropped both Lawrence and Burns (Thibodeaux wasn’t ranked) in their weekly rankings, Lawrence dropping from sixth to 15th and Burns from 24th to 28th.

While the Giants admittedly need more out of their pass rush, it hasn’t been the disaster that some might believe it to be. Per ESPN’s advanced analytics, the Giants have a 48% pass-rush win rate, ninth in the league. 

The Giants 15 sacks–eight of which came in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns when defensive coordinator Shane Bowen decided to take a page out of former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s book and go blitz crazy–is third in the league, behind the Vikings and Broncos after four games.

The decision to drop Lawrence in the rankings is a head scratcher. PFF lauded Cowboys center Cooper Beebee for “shutting out” Lawrence in pass blocking, but what the popular analytics site failed to include is that Lawrence, per NextGen stats, was double-teamed on 20 of his 25 pass rush attempts in that game.

In fact, Lawrence, arguably one of the best pass-rushing interior defensive linemen in the league, has seen an increase in double teams this year to the tune of 12%. While he scratches and claws his way through those, the Giants' pass rush can be better if more guys take advantage of the double and sometimes triple teams Lawrence draws.

Many have been disappointed with Burns's play thus far, given the hefty financial investment the Giants made to acquire him via a trade from Carolina. The Giants' team leaders in sacks are Lawrence and safety Jason Pinnock, each with three, and each is tied for 13th league-wide.

Burns has two quarterback hits and just one sack through four games, which is certainly not what Giants fans expected. But he’s ranked sixth in ESPN’s individual PRWR (28%) as an edge.

While sacks are the ultimate goal, many defensive coordinators are just as happy with pressures that either force quarterbacks to throw prematurely or move them out of the pocket.  The Giants’ pass rush might not have the sexy numbers just yet, but to suggest that it’s not getting the job done isn’t totally accurate or fair to the players.

This week, the Giants will hopefully be able to satisfy those who live for the sexy numbers. Seattle’s offensive line has a 49% pass-block win rate, 29th in the NFL. If the Giants can make life for Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith uncomfortable, that will certainly help their quest for a win. 

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