Big Blue View
The New York Giants are, at this stage of their rebuild, a defensive football team. This week they get a mirror match in the Denver Broncos
It’s true that the offense now boasts a pair of rookie sensations in Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo. Their play, confidence, infectious energy, and “lovable frat bro” attitude has changed the perception of the Giants nearly overnight.
But the Giants are still led by their defense.
The Giants have shut down the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers, as well as frustrated the Washington Commanders and Kansas City Chiefs.
Now the Giants’ defense will try to lead the way against the Broncos’ offense.
So what can we expect from the Big Blue defense when the Broncos have the ball?
Defending the run has been a point of emphasis for the Giants this year. New York has typically fared well around the line of scrimmage and they currently rank sixth in Run Stop Win Rate.
That is as things should be, considering the resources poured into that area of the team. However there’s also been tendency toward poor angles at the second and third levels. And while the Giants generally tackle rather well, their poor angled have tended to have catastrophic outcomes and explosive plays for the other team.
We’ve been over that before, but it bears repeating.
That could be particularly important this game, as the Broncos tend to lean into their running game a bit more at home. There reason is likely a combination of how games play out, outscoring opponents 48-15 at home, as well as one of the league’s starkest home field advantages.
Defending the run is a team effort, and individual failure can mean big plays. With Mile High Stadium’s elevation of 5,280 feet, the air is significantly thinner than at MetLife Stadium (30.38 feet). While the Giants will have oxygen available on the sidelines, that’s little help if Denver is able to sustain drives and use tempo to keep the Giants’ defenders on the field.
From a schematic standpoint, Denver’s run game is classic Sean Payton. It’s varied in its concepts and looks, using man, zone, pin & pull, duo, and toss plays, as well as running out of the I formation, shotgun, and pistol. They also make use of quarterback Bo Nix in the running game (more on him later) as an added wrinkle for defenses to consider.
They have a huge variety of ways with which to attack defenses, allowing them to probe for what works in a given game. Running back J.K. Dobbins isn’t an elite runner, but he’s a solid and well-rounded back who can execute any run concept called.
The good news is that while the Broncos have a high-volume (7th most attempts) and relatively productive (11th in yards, 12th in touchdowns) run game, they aren’t terribly efficient. The Broncos are 23rd in rushing EPA with a -4.82 expected points added by running the ball. That’s significantly worse than the...
