Getty New York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux addressed a fan and media "narrative" ahead of Week 15.
New York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux is quietly in the midst of a dominant year two of his NFL career, but he did speak out on a popular fan and media narrative ahead of Week 15.
“Thanks for all the recognition,” Thibodeaux voiced, addressing his followers on X, “but I’m not a victim and ‘prove people wrong’ narratives are old. I’m playing good football and constantly getting better. Let’s stop hanging on to old head lines.”
The viral PSA was posted around 1 p.m. EST on December 13, and already has over 4K likes in approximately two and a half hours’ time.
Thibodeaux had a lot of doubters heading into his second NFL season, but he’s quickly silenced those naysayers with 11.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and 37 quarterback pressures over the initial 13 games.
Per the young man’s request, however, let’s not focus on him “proving people wrong.” Thibodeaux was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 draft and right now, he’s playing like it at just 22 years old (23 on December 15).
That’s terrific news for the Giants as they rebuild this roster under a new regime.
Kayvon Thibodeaux Is Getting Home for Giants Defense, But Still Has Room to Grow as Pass Rusher
While Thibodeaux’s output has improved significantly in 2023, there’s always room to grow. Pressure rate is where the first-round talent must still take his game to the next level in the coming weeks and years.
For example, the Giants prospect is currently ranked 39th in total QB pressures according to Pro Football Focus, and it’s not because he doesn’t get opportunities. In fact, Thibodeaux ranks top 12 in total pass rushing snaps for all NFL edge rushers, so he’s out there more often than most.
The flip side of that is a rotational pass rusher is likely much fresher than Thibodeaux on each and every snap. Having said that, his win-rate of 6.4% on PFF pales in comparison to other edges that play a similar number of snaps around the league.
Where Thibodeaux is excelling is getting home. If you look at the 2022 draft class at edge rusher, the Giants’ rising star ranks first in total sacks (half-sacks count as one full sack) on PFF with 13. The next closest is Kansas City Chiefs first rounder George Karlaftis with 9.
The negative once again is a lack of consistency with pressures — an area Thibodeaux ranks seventh among draftmates. A few second-year edge rushers (Nik Bonitto, Boye Mafe and Jermaine Johnson) have actually out-pressured Thibodeaux in 100-plus fewer pass rushing snaps.
Giants Defense Has Led the Way in Recent Weeks
Undrafted rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito has gotten a lot of the attention — and for good reason — but the Giants defense has been the unsung hero of the winning streak.
Over the past three games, Wink Martindale’s unit has allowed points totals of 19, 7 and 22. Those are three of Big Blue’s top six defensive performances this season.
More impressive has been an astounding number of turnovers — 12 to be exact.
The Giants defense forced six turnovers against the Washington Commanders and another six combined between the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers. They’ll attempt to keep that hot streak going on the road versus a New Orleans Saints team that ranks middle of the pack in turnovers lost (17 on the year).
Ironically, the NYG defense is now tied for fifth in the NFL in turnovers forced with their next opponent, the Saints. So, this will be another tough test for DeVito and the offense as well.
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