By: Nathan Nguyen

When defensive coordinator Wink Martindale arrived in East Rutherford, a breath of fresh air blew around Metlife Stadium. His history of creating blitz-heavy schemes (similar to the former DC in the Big Apple, Gregg Williams) made it clear that the New York Giants defense would be different from years past.

So far, so good. After limiting Derrick Henry to just 82 rushing yards on 21 carries, New York held the Carolina Panthers to just 16 points in week two for the win. Even with a pedestrian day from the offense, the defense stood firm against Baker Mayfield (who was roasted by many Giants fans because of his comments on Daniel Jones in the past).

But, let’s think about this for a second. New York has yet to see Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari on the field in the regular season. But, Jihad Ward and Oshane Ximines have stepped in beautifully and gotten to the quarterback.

There were question marks at the cornerback position heading into the year, especially with Adoree Jackson being the only capable player safe as CB1. But, Darnay Holmes and Aaron Robinson have been serviceable. Xavier McKinney is holding his own back at the safety position, and Julian Love had a sack against Carolina that was key to the Giants’ win.

Overall, the Giants’ defense is very underrated. They don’t have the big-name players other teams have or perhaps top-end profiles that were present on the Giants Championship defense. But, the scheme has put these players in a good situation.

Fantasy-wise, they are the 16th best defense in the league, averaging 5.5 fantasy points through two games. They have yet to allow their opponents to score more than 20 points in a game, and that could continue as they head into a Monday night matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

It’s early, I get it. But, this is a good start for a team with new schemes on both the offense and defense. But, to be 2-0 after many expected them to be a rebuilding team this year is a big morale boost.

The post Look Out For This Giants Defense in Week 3 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Seattle Seahawks demon-like safety Jamal Adams will sadly be out for the remainder of the 2022 season after he tore his quad on MNF against the (widely expected winner of the contest) Denver Broncos. Adams impressively made the Pro Bowl in 2018, 2019, and 2020. However, Adams blatantly fell off a cliff a season ago and was ousted an absolute dreadful 60.1 grade by PFF. It was anticipated that Adams would bounce back in 2022, but he sadly will have to wait another season to show his true colors.

With that said, it may be wise for the leading NFC West squad (yes, you read that correctly) to ink a new safety to replace his services. Hence, I’m going to untwine a few logical safety targets for the Hawks.

• Ha Ha Clinton Dix

It’s hard to forget the name “Ha Ha”, but it doesn’t hurt that Ha Ha Clinton Dix has had excellent flashes in this league. The former first-round pick had a modest 74.2 grade by PFF in 2019. He didn’t compete in 2020 and he only played in a couple of games last season. It may be a nice low-risk, somewhat-high reward to see if the 29-year-old can be an impact player as the third safety moving forward.

• Trade for Xavier McKinney

The New York Giants have a young & talented safety named Xavier McKinney. The 23-year-old safety for the GMEN recorded a potent 75.4 grade by PFF a season ago. He may be the best-kept secret on the Giants defense, but it may be hard for the Giants to make him pleased long-term. The cap-strapped New Orleans Saints decided to move on from the young buck safety, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson this off-season. Perhaps the Giants will feel its best to move on from McKinney after his robust 2022 season for a Hawks draft pick.

• Trade for Jabril Peppers

Bill Belichick really isn’t opposed to making any type of trade. BB may feel it’s a sharp idea to ship out the former Michigan Wolverine (with zero tackles last Sunday) who will be a FA in 2023. It should be noted that Peppers (2.5 sacks, 91 tackles, 1 interception, and 3 QB hits) also holds a similar skillset as Adams.

The post Potential replacements for Jamal Adams appeared first on Pro Football Mania.