New York Giants rookie Abdul Carter has endured a turbulent few weeks amid a season that has spiraled into despair. Despite the absence of fellow edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux, Carter did not start in Week 11 against the Green Bay Packers, which was relevant because it was interim head coach Mike Kafka’s first game after Brian Daboll was fired. Kafka sought to set a new standard of accountability.
Carter was held out of the opening defensive series after missing a walk-through, and two weeks later in New England, he was benched for the first quarter after missing a special teams meeting. These benchings sparked intense scrutiny from the Giants’ media and fan base, placing Carter at the center of frustration from a disappointed following.
New York entered their BYE week with just two wins (2-11). Interim defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen stated that Carter responded well with a good week of practice, and Bullen said the rookie had a “new commitment to the process.” Carter substantiated Bullen’s glowing comments with this performance in Week 15:
Carter made critical plays late in the fourth quarter that gave the Giants a real opportunity to win — including a key strip-sack and a late fumble recovery that set up a final chance to tie the game in what had otherwise been a disappointing loss.
Carter now has 2.5 sacks on the season with a team-leading 48 pressures, and he ranks 16th in the NFL in total pressures. His ability to win quickly off the snap has been one of his most impactful traits all season — a skill that hasn’t just boosted his pass-rush production, but has also helped him defeat blocks and make plays in the run game.
Carter recorded five STOPs against the run against Washington, bringing his season total to 17 run-defense STOPs, and he had never logged more than two in a single game before Week 15. Here are some of those positive run-defense plays:
Carter vs. the run
First play of the game!
(Abdul Carter is No. 51, right side of screen)
Carter does an elite job against Laremy Tunsil. From the PISTOL formation with Noah Brown (85) lead blocking, Washington attempted to run at Carter, and the young rookie maintained a low center of gravity outside the star tackle and flowed laterally to set the edge. A pursuing defender, Roy Robertson-Harris (95), rewarded Carter’s efforts with help from the backside, but it was Carter who disengaged from Tunsil and made the play. This is team defense — not the most common sight from the Giants. What an excellent way to start the game for Carter, especially after the aforementioned issues.
Later in the first quarter, on first-and-10, Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury called a fake end-around with Jacory Croskey-Merritt (22) receiving the snap and running toward Carter and a safety blitz by Jevon Holland (8). Carter got drawn inside and quickly pivoted outward to track down Croskey-Merrit, who was successfully contained by a pursuing Dexter Lawrence (97) and Bobby Okereke (58). Again, good team defense — unfortunately, this is not consistent.
On second-and-18, Bullen aligned Carter over the center, and Washington attempted a quick HB-Draw that resulted in a loss of four, due to Carter’s quickness off the snap and domination of Tyler Biadasz (63). Carter is tough to block in a phone booth, and he’s done well in these situations against interior offensive linemen.
Here’s where Carter gave the Giants the necessary spark to try to complete the unlikely comeback. Bullen blitzed the safeties often all game, especially against 12, 22, and 21 personnel with an extra player in the backfield. Here, he drops Tyler Nubin (27) down into the box, and the second-year safety did an elite job attacking behind Ben Sinnott (82) and forcing Jeremy McNichols (26) to bounce outside and away from his blockers, where Abdul Carter was waiting. The rookie attacked the football and ripped it out of McNichols’ hands to give the Giants the football, down eight, with 2:42 left in the game.
Abdul Carter, the pass rusher
Carter’s first impactful play against the pass came against rookie tackle Josh Conerly (72). On second-and-20 in the second quarter, Carter quickly turned a double-swipe into a rip move to get his hips oriented into the pocket, turning Conerly around 180 degrees. In desparation, Conerly held Carter to prevent the potential sack, and Marcus Mariota (8) hit Deebo Samuel (1), who dropped the ball. The holding penalty was declined by the Giants. Washington would punt two plays later.
Carter earned a full sack in his second consecutive game — this one a bit more conventional than his one against Drake Maye in Week 13. Carter had a wide angle against Conerly with no chip help from the tight end. The rookie pass rusher used his quickness to get up the arc with a slight ghost move, that reduced the surface area of his chest with an explosive rip from an advantagous angle. Carter easily got into the pocket and ripped the football out of Mariota’s hand, but Conerly would fall on top of it.
Bullen devised this excellent six-man pass rush where Okereke dropped off into zone coverage with pressure from the right side of the line of scrimmage. Brian Burns (0) and Carter twist with Dane Belton (24) as the edge blitzer and Nubin following Carter on his loop inward. Belton got home against Mariota, who attempted to avoid the pressure from the onset. As Mariota spun out of the pocket and into Belton, Carter assisted on the takedown and the ball came out. Burns picked up the football and the Giants’ offense would score to give the team a chance at their third victory.
Final thoughts
This performance is exactly what Abdul Carter needed. He recorded his highest Pro Football Focus grade of his career (91.2) and his second-highest pass rushing grade of the season (90.6). He was a problem for Washington’s offense in the run and the pass, but it wasn’t perfect. There were several plays where Carter was eliminated by Tunsil and Conerly; he’s still subject to get overpowered at the point of attack if he doesn’t adhere to the correct technique or if he takes a risk when trying to shed blocks. He’s a rookie — development is a process. Still, his performance inspired positivity, which, for the Giants, is more elusive than Barry Sanders in his prime.
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