Big Blue View
The New York Giants understand what they will be up against on Sunday when their under-manned offense lines up against the dominant Denver Broncos’ defense.
“They’re as good as it gets right now,” said Giants head coach Brian Daboll.
“Pressuring the quarterback, first in the red zone, first and third down, can play a variety of things. There are a lot of really good players. One of the best defenses in the league, coached well, and tough to block. Just held a team to under 90 yards of offense. So, tremendous challenge with that defense.”
No kidding. Here are some of the eye-popping numbers:
Sacks (30) | 1st
QB Pressures (77) | 1st
QB Pressure Rate (33.8%) | 1st
Total Yards Allowed Per Game (254.2) | 2nd
Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game (89.0) | 6th
Rushing Yard Allowed Per Attempt (3.9) | 9th
Passing Yards Allowed Per Game (165.2) | 3rd
First Downs Allowed Per Game (15.8) | 3rd
Opponent Third Down Conversion Rate (27.16%) | 1st
Opponent Fourth Down Conversion Rate (20%) | 1st
Red Zone – Allowed TD Rate (28.57%) | 1st
Points Allowed Per Game (15.8) | 2nd
Expected Points Added (33.33) | 1st
Get the idea? The Bronco defense is good. Really good.
“That front seven is probably one of the better ones that we’re going to see. The secondary’s probably the best one that we’ve seen up to this point,” said wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. “We’ve definitely gotta be ready to go. They’re going to challenge us on every level. Gotta be ready for everything.”
Denver edge Nik Bonitto leads the league with 8.0 sacks, no accident after a 13.5-sack 2024 season. On the opposite side, edge Jonathan Cooper has 4.5 after totaling 20 sacks over the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Per Pro Football Focus, Bonitto leads 113 qualifying edge defender with a 15.0 pass rush pressure rate. Cooper is fourth at 12.0.
The defensive line features Zach Allen, a second-team All-Pro in 2024 when he had 8.5 sacks, 40 quarterback hits, and 15 tackles for loss. John Franklin-Myers had 7.0 sacks in 2024 and has 3.0 already this season.
The secondary? Oh, it is just led by Patrick Surtain II, a two-time All-Pro in his fifth season who was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2024. That group is good enough that first-round pick Jahdae Barron, a cornerback, is playing just 15 snaps per game.
“They’re impressive. They’re impressive every game,” Daboll said. “They create a lot of negative plays. They have 30 sacks in six games. There were nine last week, I think. They rotate guys. But Bonitto is an unbelievable pass rusher. You can’t have a plan for all of them. They all can rush. I think 12 guys have at least a sack on their defense. We’ve got the reigning defensive player of the year, as a corner, Surtain II, an Alabama guy. They’re just really good. They play good coverage, complemented with the front. They disguise well....
