New York Giants: Defense must show up in Tampa

Last week I called out the New York Giants’ offense, imploring the unit to show up in The Big Easy. The result? Over 400 yards of total offense and six touchdowns by Eli Manning.

So naturally, this week I’m calling out the defensive unit, in a desperate effort to see them play well on Sunday.

Or at the very least, I’m calling out the unit to at least show up on Sunday. I mean, it can’t get much worse, can it?

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I don’t want to harp on the past, but the defense was laughably bad against the Saints. Drew Brees tossed seven touchdowns and completely and utterly dissected New York’s secondary. While Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie played well — per usual — the rest of the corners played like, well, something not very good.

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According to Pro Football Focus, Jayron Hosley (filling in for Prince Amukamara) and Trevin Wade were targeted 11 times and allowed 11 passes for 216 yards, four touchdowns and a perfect passer rating. The defense as a whole didn’t play well, but Hosley and Wade were certainly a catalyst for the defense’s struggles.

Obviously, injuries have not been kind to the Giants. As previously mentioned, Amukamara has missed time due to an injury, as has starting inside linebacker Jon Beason. It’s tough for any defense to continue to play well without two of its most integral players. It’s even harder for a defense to do so when the unit is completely devoid of a pass rush.

There’s some good news, though, as the big story in The Big Apple is the return of defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Pierre-Paul, who hasn’t played a game since week 17 of last year, is likely to return a week after returning to the Giants. JPP’s return is obviously a huge boost to the unit, even if the 26 year old is only 80 percent of what he was last year. The reason he’s going to have an impact on this defense regardless of how disruptive he plays is because he’s now going to be the only — and I mean only — player on the defensive line that offenses will have to game plan around.

JPP claims he still has the same physical ability, and he displayed he still has the same, unique JPP swagger.

“Let ’em come,” Pierre-Paul said, when asked if he thinks the Bucs will test him, according to Ebenezer Samuel of The New York Daily News. “Like I said, I’m going to do what I do best, and I know how to play football. They can come at me. I play the run, play the ball. I’ll be okay.”

If the Bucs indeed try to test JPP, they could be in for an unpleasant surprise. Despite being better known as a pass rusher, Pierre-Paul proved to be very stout against the run last year.

The defense will be facing a Buccaneers offense that is surprisingly ranked as the league’s 11th best, though it’s largely in part to Doug Martin‘s resurgent season. Martin has rushed for 612 yards on 132 carries (4.6 average), and he’s taken some of the pressure off rookie quarterback Jameis Winston.

Speaking of the first-overall pick, Winston hasn’t played poorly. He’s thrown seven interceptions, which is the same amount of picks Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan and Ryan Fitzpatrick have thrown. Winston has also thrown fewer interceptions than Cam Newton, Joe Flacco, Ryan Tannehill and Blake Bortles. Yes, he’s a rookie, but he can’t be overlooked.

The Bucs’ offense has a lot of weapons that could help Winston find success. Vincent Jackson, Mike Evans and Austin Seferian-Jenkins resemble the front court of a basketball team, and they can potentially bully the Giants’ secondary. It could very well be a battle in the air.

I’m not trying to insinuate the Giants need to have to sack Winston 15 times, intercept him five times and force three fumbles. But I am saying this defense needs to reestablish its identity. During the first few weeks of the season, this was a gritty, unheralded unit. They would bend, but refused to break. Since then, they’ve been shredded, and are on pace to be the worst defense in NFL history.

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This defense doesn’t need to be ’85 Bears-like. A stingy, aggressive performance would be enough to show the rest of the NFL that the unit has talent, and they have the mentality to finish the season strong, and not as a punching bag.

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