The Giants defense this season was terrible to say the least. They ranked 29th in points per game given up, 28th in yards per game given up, 32nd in rushing yards given up per game and 9th in passing yards per game given up. They did very well against the pass this season, however, a big reason for that is every opponent just had to run the ball. They have good players on defense so the amount of yards given up this year made absolutely no sense. In this article we will take a look at each position and talk about how they did this season.
Defensive Line:
| Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FFs | FRs | TDs | |
| L.Williams | 24 | 10.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| D.Lawrence | 14 | 5.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| O.Vernon | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| D.Shelton | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| A.Johnson | 4 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The Giants defensive line as a whole didn’t play very well as they were in the bottom half of the league in sacks. Most games it felt like their opponent had all day to throw and only when the other team would roll out or not throw the ball away would they finally get pressure. Their defensive line has at least three highly rated players in WIlliams, Lawrence, and Vernon, however, this wasn’t enough to fix the problems. Williams was the best of the three and had his best year as a Giant, earning defensive lineman of the year and a pro bowl bid. The Giants will be looking to add another lineman in the draft.
Linebacker:
| Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FFs | FRs | TDs | |
| B.Martinez | 45 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| D.Hightower | 43 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| A.Ojulari | 31 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| O.Ximines | 11 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| B.Goodson | 43 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Just like the defensive line, the Giants linebackers couldn’t stop the run to save their lives. Teams would line up and run the ball down their throats thanks in part to a linebacker core who lack block shedding abilities. Hightower and Martinez are making a lot of money, however, they played like rookies in their first year of the league. Second round pick Ojulari didn’t make the impact that the Giants organization thought he was going to make. They hope that in his second year he will line up and become a true threat on the edge. Hightower most likely won’t be back for the Giants.
Defensive Backs:
| Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FFs | FRs | TDs | |
| L.Ryan | 57 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| J.Peppers | 48 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| J.Bradberry IV | 46 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| A.Jackson | 41 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| K.Crossen | 34 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
The Giants secondary is filled with fast players who have a knack to get to the ball. They were the bright spot of the defense as their pass defense was top ten in the league. An interesting statistic was that the slowest member of their secondary had the most tackles. Ryan was like a magnet to the ball from his safety position. Peppers, while he didnt make the Pro Bowl this season, had a fantastic season, amassing 10 interceptions. If a list came out for players that were snubbed a spot in the Pro Bowl, Peppers would be in that conversation. Bradberry played up to his normal expectations, however, was beaten by lesser receivers at important times in games. Jackson, while he didnt have an impressive year, had an impressive game where he was able to earn himself a superstar development trait. He will look to progress this offseason in order to take advantage of his abilities. All of the Giants starting secondary will return next season.
After taking a look at the Giants defense, we can see that while they played poorly as a whole, they had players who stood out. Williams and Peppers had the most impactful seasons and will hopefully be getting rewarded with superstar upgrades for it. The Giants will be looking at upgrading their defense in the draft, and with picks 3 and 11 in the first round, they have a variety of players to choose from.
