Getty The Giants' defense needs a new gameplan for Justin Jefferson and the Vikings.
Don ‘Wink’ Martindale needs to rein in his natural instincts if the New York Giants are going to beat the Minnesota Vikings on Super Wild Card Weekend. Martindale’s familiar gameplan hurt his defense in key moments when the Giants were beaten 27-24 in Minnesota in Week 16.
Martindale needs to resist his urge to blitz and attack the Vikes with a four-man rush more often, according to one NFL analyst. A conservative approach proved more successful against quarterback Kirk Cousins and might help corral his receivers, particularly All-Pro Justin Jefferson.
Giants Must Flip the Script on Defense
Blitzing is something the Giants have done as a matter of routine this season, per Nate Tice of The Athletic: “They did so on a comical 45.1 percent of dropbacks by opposing QBs during the regular season, which was nearly eight percent higher than the team behind them (Arizona, at 37.2 percent).”
The blitz-happy approach didn’t work against Cousins: “Kirk Cousins faced five or more pass rushers on 26 of his dropbacks in Week 16; the most he had faced in any other game this season was 18. And Cousins performed admirably against those pressures, taking three sacks but throwing for 10 first downs on his 23 passing attempts. He finished with a 60.9 percent success rate against the blitz.”
Ironically, Cousins was off the mark when he wasn’t blitzed: “The Giants had success against the Vikings when they did not blitz: Cousins threw for seven first downs, but his passing success rate dropped to 40 percent on the 25 dropbacks when New York’s D featured four or fewer pass rushers. Cousins also took five hits in those spots (compared to three on the Giants’ blitzes).”
Martindale should take Tate’s advice, despite the defensive coordinator’s unit sacking Cousins four times the last time these two teams met. Three of those sacks came off the blitz, but this QB takedown by Azeez Ojulari showed the value of only rushing four:
The Giants have the personnel to win sending just four. Ojulari and rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux are terrors off the edges, while Pro-Bowl nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II and formidable Leonard Williams push the pocket from the inside.
Lawrence and Thibodeaux have been on a tear all season, consistently making life uncomfortable for quarterbacks, according to numbers from Pro Football Focus, cited by Empire Sports Media’s Alex Wilson:
Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux have combined for 103 total pressures and 13 sacks this season (PFF).
103 total pressures, that’s awesome. Add in a healthy Azeez Ojulari and Leonard Williams (given he stays) next year, and this DL will be special #NYG
Numbers like those make trusting the front four to generate heat the safest way for the Giants to travel. It’s worked in other key moments this season, notably during Week 15’s decisive 20-12 win over the Washington Commanders, when “the Giants blitzed on 35.3 percent of Washington’s dropbacks, which was their second-lowest rate of the season,” according to Tice’s colleague Dan Duggan.
Duggan also noted how Martindale called more zone coverage (67.2 percent) at FedEx Field, but the same tweak did little to limit Jefferson’s production.
Giants Need Better Plan for NFL Leader
Jefferson finished the season as the league’s leading wide receiver with 128 catches for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns. He tallied 12 of those grabs, 133 of those yards and one score against the Giants.
No. 18 did his best work against the blitz, per Tice: “Jefferson converted five of those first downs and had three explosive plays on nine targets vs. the blitz.”
His most important catch was this screen to move the chains on 3rd-and-11, highlighted by Bobby Skinner of Talkin’ Giants. The play set up Greg Joseph’s game-winning 61-yard field goal.
Using screens to beat the blitz was a familiar ploy from the Vikings, and Jefferson wasn’t the only pass-catcher who profited from the strategy. T.J. Hockenson snared “two well-timed tight end screens against blitzes that produced 32 yards,” per Duggan.
Those two plays helped Hockenson amass 13 catches for 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Using somebody like hybrid safety Landon Collins to shadow and jam Hockenson would help avoid a repeat of that performance, but the Giants still need an answer for Jefferson.
Martindale’s task will be easier if his top cornerback, Adoree Jackson, is available. As ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported, Jackson remains unsure about his status, but safety Xavier McKinney is more confident:
If Jackson does play, Martindale could have him trail Jefferson, especially when the latter lines up in the slot. Alternatively, Martindale could trust Jackson to lockdown Adam Thielen or K.J. Osborn, leaving the Giants to double Jefferson all over the field.
Rushing four would make it easier to commit more bodies to covering Jefferson. It may be the only way to slow down the most dangerous weapon on the Vikings’ offense.