The New York Giants are Treading on Dangerous Ground

The New York Giants have a legitimate shot of winning the NFC East, but the path they're taking is not what anyone anticipated.

Yes, the Giants were expected to be an improved team in 2026, and there were some who felt they had a chance at the division title. But what if I told you before the season that New York would lose both Jaxson Dart and Brian Burns to season-ending injuries over the first three weeks? Would you still think the Giants could capture the division crown?

Almost certainly not, and yet, here we are, with New York perched on top of the NFC East at 3-1-1 heading into Week 6.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are both in shambles at the moment, and the Washington Commanders clearly aren't very good ... or very disciplined.

However, while the Giants have a great chance of improving to 4-1-1 when the New Orleans Saints come to town this Sunday, we have to acknowledge just how dangerous of a game Big Blue is playing, particularly defensively.

When Burns went down in Week 3, what should have been a dominant Giants pass rush quickly turned into a significant problem. Outside of Abdul Carter, New York was getting very little pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and up until now, Kayvon Thibodeaux is sack-less and hasn't had a quarterback hit since the season opener.

But over the last couple of weeks, defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson has devised some blitz schemes that had the Arizona Cardinals and Commanders scrambling. Quite literally in the case of Jayden Daniels and the latter.

The Giants blitzed on 53.8 percent of the Cardinals' dropbacks in Week 4. They then blitzed on 62 percent of Washington's this past Sunday. New York proceeded to amass seven sacks over the course of those two games, including five versus the Commanders.

Even nickelback Dru Phillips picked up a couple of sacks in Washington.

But while it's fun watching the Giants wreak havoc with the blitz, there is no question that it's a dangerous strategy.

New York saw that against the Commanders, where Daniels moved away from the blitz numerous times and ripped off big chunks of yardage on runs. Daniels is one of the most athletic quarterbacks in football, so he is a bit of an exception, but it's not like Saints signal-caller Tyler Shough is a statue.

The Giants have been forced to blitz because their pass rush had been painfully stagnant. Even after the last two games, New York still has totaled just eight sacks on the campaign as a whole, which ranks toward the bottom of the NFL.

That can't continue, even with Burns — who racked up 16.5 sacks last season — sidelined.

The Giants absolutely need more from Thibodeaux, who has been one of the least efficient edge rushers in football thus far in 2026. And while Carter picked up a sack in the nation's capital, New York needs him to start finishing more plays, too, as he has logged only two sacks through five games.

Wilson will likely send the blitz quite a bit once again versus New Orleans this weekend, but it would be nice to see the Giants' pass rush actually generate some organic pressure for a change.

The G-Men have been living dangerously, and there is only so long you can play with fire before you get burned.