ClutchPoints
The Kansas City Chiefs enter their Week 3 clash against the New York Giants at 0-2, desperately seeking their first victory of the 2025 season. While both teams have struggled out of the gate, the most critical matchup the Chiefs must exploit lies in attacking a surprisingly vulnerable Giants run defense that has allowed 355 yards and four touchdowns on the ground through just two games. This weakness presents Kansas City with its best opportunity to establish offensive rhythm and control the game flow against a Giants team that has invested heavily in pass rush but remains porous against the run.
The Giants defense was expected to be a strength entering 2025, but their run defense has been among the league’s worst. New York allowed 220 rushing yards to the Washington Commanders in Week 1 and 135 rushing yards to Dallas in Week 2, ranking dead last in the NFL with 455 yards allowed per game. This represents a continuation of last season’s struggles, when they finished 27th in run defense, allowing 136.2 yards per game.
The Giants’ investment in their pass rush—featuring Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Dexter Lawrence, and rookie Abdul Carter—has come at the expense of run stopping ability. While their pass rush has generated 31% pressure rate (16th in NFL) and six sacks through two games, their inability to stop the run creates cascading problems. When offenses succeed on early downs, it keeps the Giants’ highly-paid pass rushers off the field in obvious passing situations, negating their primary defensive strength.
Despite Kansas City’s own rushing struggles—ranking 17th with just 94 yards from running backs Isaiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt on 28 carries (3.36 YPC)—they possess a unique weapon in Patrick Mahomes’ scrambling ability. The Chiefs quarterback leads all NFL signal-callers with 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13 attempts, averaging 9.5 yards per carry. All of Mahomes’ rushes have been scrambles, highlighting his improvisational skills when facing pressure.
The Chiefs have struggled mightily on third downs, converting just 34.6% of attempts (26th in NFL), a dramatic decline from their 47% conversion rate between 2022-2024 that ranked second-best in the league. However, the Giants’ poor run defense creates an opportunity to stay ahead of the chains on early downs, making third-and-manageable situations more achievable.
Kansas City ranks second in the NFL in explosive rushing plays (10+ yards), with seven of their nine such plays coming from Mahomes scrambles. This scrambling threat becomes even more dangerous against a Giants defense that allows 38.7 yards per drive to opponents and has surrendered six red zone touchdowns on seven opportunities.
The Chiefs must commit to establishing the run game early, utilizing both designed runs for Mahomes and traditional handoffs to keep the Giants honest. Running the ball effectively serves multiple purposes: it controls the Giants’ talented pass rush, keeps drives alive, and creates play-action...
