Breakdown of Giants’ Defensive Line, Potential Mike Evans Return, Run Game Ascension | Brianna’s Blitz

The New York Giants have a formidable front with defensive end Brian Burns and nose tackle Dexter Lawrence. The Giants lead the NFL with a 13.09% sacks-per-pass play rate and the unit ranks second with 36 sacks on the 2024 season. Burns leads the league in fastest time to pressure among qualified edge rushers (2.57) per ESPN Next Gen Stats. He has accumulated 6.0 sacks, 46 combined tackles, nine tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits in 2024 and seven passes defensed. Burns pairs an elite get-off with outstanding bend around the edge. He has a lethal spin move, sudden feet, lateral range and is effective at dropping in coverage. Burns, a trade acquisition, helps set the tone along with Lawrence. Touted as one of the best at his position, Lawrence ranks second in the NFL with 9.0 sacks and consistently overwhelms centers. Lawrence has the coveted combination of size and power, and he uses it to his advantage in the trenches. He is able to quickly disengage from blocks and eats up blocks to allow linebackers to roam. Lawrence is a disruptive bull rusher, and his agility allows him to move along the line wreaking havoc.

“[They’ve] got one of the best football players on defense in the National Football League up front,” said Buccaneers’ Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen. “They’ve got multiple pass rushers that can affect the quarterback, they’re first in the NFL in sacks right now, they’re sixth in third-down defense, they’ve affected the quarterback – everyone that they basically played they affected. They’ve got a young group of guys out there that seem to have some juice, they’re at home on a fast track on that turf. [That’s] when you can really see those guys playing at a speed there that nobody has been able to truly handle. I mean yeah, wins and losses – it’s a different deal. We’re just talking about that side of ball, and what they’ve been able to do and effect offensives, has been impressive. I have a ton of respect for those guys over there and what they’ve been doing, how they’re playing the game. You can see it’s being taught and coached the right way. It’s detailed, it’s fundamental, it’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

Buccaneers’ future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans is nearing his highly-anticipated return to the gridiron after missing four games due to a hamstring injury. He was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice and practiced in full fashion on Thursday, sparking optimism. It remains to be seen what his retooled load will entail on Sunday but with Chris Godwin on injured reserve, Evans is expected to assume a versatile role in the lineup. The Bucs’ offense went into the 2024 slate as primarily an 11-personnel team predicated on Evans winning one-on-one matchups on the outside and Godwin picking up YAC-yards, exploiting the underneath area of the field and taking advantage of two-high shell coverage. Tampa Bay found ways to supplement their production and an Evans’ return will command attention from defensive coordinators. He has the physicality to power through jams at the line of scrimmage and is adept at making contested catches. The jump-ball specialist climbs the ladder with ease and is a cheat code on back-shoulder fades/go routes.

“It’s just going to be hard to tell with Mike right now in terms of how much is he going to be able to go, if he can go? I don’t know,” stated Coen. “How much do you want to send him all the way down the field on a long route or something because we’re trying to be smart. We want to keep him going now if we get him back. I don’t know if it’ll fully change. It helps us, that’s for sure. I know that. I don’t know. That’s a good question. In terms of being able to move him around a little bit more, I think that’s something that we’ve got to do a nice job of as a staff – is he just out at one all the time? Is he in the slot? Is he at two? Is he at three? Being able to move him like we were moving those guys around earlier in the year – that could definitely help us.”

The Buccaneers have rushed for 100-plus yards in seven-of-10 games this season after doing so in nine-of-34 games over the previous two seasons. Tampa Bay currently ranks fifth in the NFL per rush (5.0) after finishing 32nd in that category in each of the previous two seasons. Rookie Bucky Irving has fortified the unit, providing juice. He has 40 missed tackles forced – the most among rookies. Irving’s 47.1% forced missed tackle percentage leads the NFL, and his downhill charge and cut-ability have been a perfect fit for the Bucs’ counter gap runs in 2024. Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen discussed the strides on the ground and attributed the understanding of ‘Why’ to the growth in the run game.

“I think we were just trying to really emphasize as much as we could, fundamentals, technique, and maybe a little bit more of the ‘Why,” noted Coen. “Because you couldn’t, as you mentioned, practice it full speed – obviously, the physicality part of it is non-existent, but we’re still trying to develop, every time we would run the ball, a ‘Why?’ An understanding of what we’re trying to do. ‘Ok, this is versus these kinds of defenses. We like these runs versus maybe a different type of structure.’ As you’re trying to get these guys as many reps as possible, we put a lot on their plate from early on. That was with multiple plays in the huddle, getting to the right looks – running the football is a mindset and mentality and it had to start right when we first started and the guys were pretty bought in from the beginning.”