Two Giants defensemen are among the league's best in this new metric

The New York Giants defense has improved in recent weeks. Their most recent performance against the Seahawks was dominant as the team totaled seven sacks, ten quarterback hits and six tackles for a loss. The week before, they held the Cowboys to just 20 points despite the loss.

While everyone performs well, they say Pro Football Focus' new metricWith the Tackle for Loss Rate, which measures the rate at which players force a negative play on the opponent, the Giants have two defenders who are among the league's best in this category.

Linebackers Micah McFadden and Kayvon Thibodeaux, both from the 2022 draft class, were among the top 25 defenders in the entire league in this metric through the first four weeks of the season.

McFadden's tackle-for-loss rate of 4.69% puts him at No. 16. The former fifth-round pick has become a viable starter alongside Bobby Okereke, who also made the list with a rate of 1.01% moulted. Considering McFadden missed Week 1 due to injury, his placement at the top of the list bodes well for the future.

Thibodeaux ranked 22nd with a tackle-for-loss rate of 4.23%. The former fifth overall pick in 2022 exploded with 11.5 sacks last season, but the Giants still needed help on the other side of the defensive line, which is why they traded for Brian Burns, who was also on the list at a rate of 2.44%.

Thibodeaux's pursuit of a higher ranking has been put on hold for the next few weeks after he suffered a fractured scaphoid bone in his wrist that required surgery this week.

Putting pressure on the quarterback is one thing, but stopping the run has been a consistent problem for the Giants over several seasons. They succeeded to an extent, as they only gave up 115.4 yards per game on the ground, which ranked 12th in the NFL. While the Giants have made significant and noticeable progress, they also know that they are far from being the kind of unit they can be and continue to work at it every day.

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