3 Things We Learned About the NY Giants’ Week 7 Opponent

The Broncos finished the day with–count ‘em–nine sacks against the Jets, a stat that warrants some deeper digging.

Denver’s defense is primarily a man-based unit, but in this week’s game, they did a fine job of mixing up their coverages and disguising in what was a combination of man and zone. 

Throw that into the mix with a still-young quarterback in Justin Fields, who, at times, was holding onto the ball way too long, and you had the perfect recipe for a sack fest.

To that point, according to Pro Football Focus's preliminary numbers, Fields was pressured on 58.6% of his dropbacks, going 1-of-5 in those situations, with Denver blitzing on 44.8% of his dropbacks. 

In all, Fields averaged 3.62 seconds to throw when he was pressured and 2.99 seconds when he was blitzed.

So imagine what the Broncos defense might have in store for Jaxson Dart, a rookie, next week. 

Dart and the Giants can neutralize the blitz by delivering plenty of smart and quick decisions that get the ball out of his hand in under 2.5 seconds. 

Further, if the Broncos do throw a lot of blitzes at the Giants, there could be opportunities to run for big plays by attacking the gaps left by the blitzers with quickness.

The Broncos' O-line Problem

Thanks to left guard Ben Powers’s season-ending injury, the Broncos have had to turn to old friend Matt Peart, a third-round draft pick by the Giants in 2020 out of Connecticut.

Peart, before this week’s game in which he played 60 snaps at left guard, had never played guard before at the NFL level. 

In his first game at guard, Peart appeared to struggle with speed, getting nailed twice for offensive holding and once for a false start. 

If Peart gets the start again at left guard next week, that could bode well for the Giants, who have three very fleet-footed pass rushers in Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Abdul Carter that they like to move around the formation like chess pieces.

Marquee Matchup Set 

The biggest matchup ahead of next weekend’s game will be Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto vs. Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas. 

Yes, it was frustrating to have to sit and wait, wondering if Thomas would ever return to the field, let alone be the 2021 version of himself —his best season to date.

But with Thomas back in the lineup and playing the way he has been, can anyone out there still say it wasn’t worth the wait to ensure that the team’s most important and most indispensable player was truly 100% and ready to go?

Since Thomas returned to the lineup, the Giants are 2-1 against two teams that came into MetLife Stadium with winning records (one of which is the defending Super Bowl champions). 

Thomas will more than likely square off against NFL sack leader Nik Bonitto, who plays the majority of his snaps on the right side of the Denver defense, which would mean he’ll face Thomas and that left side of the Giants' offensive line. 

Bonitto has drawn some stiff competition so far this year that he’s bested, including Jordan Mailata of the Eagles in Week 5, a game in which Bonitto won AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for having recorded 2.5 sacks and our tackles; Joe Alt of the Chargers; and Bernhard Rainmann of the Colts, who kept Bonitto off the stat sheet in the sacks department.  

Thomas, in 246 snaps played (130 pass blocking snaps), has allowed just two pressures and zero sacks, as he’s been a proverbial brick wall against some stiff competition of his own.

If Thomas can handle Bonitto by himself, the Giants can allocate resources elsewhere as needed to deal with Jonathon Cooper and Zach Allen.