You’ve seen the box scores. You’ve probably spent a few Sundays lately screaming at your TV because some random QB just picked up 15 yards on a 3rd-and-long. But if you're looking at the Giants pass defense ranking and thinking it's a total disaster, you're only seeing half the movie.
The raw numbers from the 2025 season tell one story—a middle-of-the-pack unit that allowed about 214 passing yards per game. That’s good for 16th in the league. Boring, right? Average. But that ranking is a massive lie because of how this season actually played out.
The Shane Bowen vs. Charlie Bullen Divide
Honestly, the first half of the year was rough. Under former DC Shane Bowen, the defense was playing this weird, conservative "bend but don't break" style that basically just ended up breaking a lot. They were blitzing on only 25% of plays. QBs had all day to eat them alive.
Then, things got wild.
Interim coach Mike Kafka fired Bowen after a miserable 2-10 start and handed the keys to Charlie Bullen. Everything flipped. Bullen, who came over from the outside linebackers room, decided to stop playing scared. He cranked the blitz rate up to nearly 39%.
If you look at the Giants pass defense ranking since that coaching change, they aren't 16th anymore. They've been playing like a top-10, sometimes even top-5 unit. Under Bullen, they limited opponents to just 191 passing yards per game. That is a massive jump. They went from "please don't score on us" to "we are coming for your head."
👉 See also: What Time Do the Huskers Play Today: The Full Schedule Explained
Dexter Lawrence and the Abdul Carter Factor
You can't talk about the secondary without talking about the monsters up front. Passing defense isn't just about cornerbacks; it’s about how fast a quarterback starts panicking.
- Dexter Lawrence: The guy is still a human eclipse. He forces double teams on every single snap, which is basically a cheat code for the rest of the line.
- Abdul Carter: This kid is the real deal. As a rookie, he started slow, but Bullen began moving him all over the formation—over the center, over the guards, everywhere. In the final month of the season, 37% of his total pressures happened. He was basically living in the backfield.
- Brian Burns: He finally looked like the $141 million man. Under the new scheme, he didn't miss a single tackle in the final four games.
When you have a pass rush that converts nearly 13% of dropbacks into sacks (which is what they did under Bullen), the secondary doesn't have to cover for five seconds. They only have to cover for two.
The Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland Experiment
The Giants spent big in free agency to fix the "burnable" secondary we saw in 2024. Bringing in Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland was supposed to be the fix.
Adebo has been a rock at the No. 1 corner spot. He isn't perfect—nobody is in this league—but he’s physical. Then you have Deonte Banks on the other side. Banks has had some "sophomore slump" moments, for sure. He gets grabby. He's had some bad penalties. But the talent is there.
The real unsung hero? Jevon Holland. Having a "eraser" at safety who can command the deep middle allows the corners to be way more aggressive. They know if they get beat on a double move, Holland is probably there to overtop it.
Why the Ranking Still Looks "Meh"
So why is the season-long Giants pass defense ranking still sitting at 16th?
- The Detroit Disaster: That 34-27 overtime loss to the Lions featured some of the worst coverage lapses of the decade.
- Short Fields: The offense (led by Jaxson Dart and Russell Wilson at various points) turned the ball over a lot. When a defense starts a drive with their back against the 20-yard line, they give up points even if they don't give up yards.
- The Early Scheme: You can't just erase the first 12 weeks of conservative, "passive" football.
What This Means for 2026
If the Giants keep Charlie Bullen as the permanent DC, this pass defense is going to be scary next year. They’ve found a formula that works: blitz like crazy, let Dexter Lawrence wreck the middle, and trust the high-priced secondary to hold up in man coverage.
Most people see a 16th-ranked pass defense and think "rebuild." I look at this unit and see a group that is one more lockdown corner away from being elite.
Next Steps for Big Blue Fans:
- Watch the sack-to-pressure ratio: If the Giants can keep converting pressures into sacks at the 12% rate they hit in December, they will lead the league in takeaways next year.
- Keep an eye on the Draft: Despite the improvement, the Giants still need a true "shutdown" CB2 if Banks doesn't find more consistency.
- The Bullen Decision: The biggest "stat" to watch this offseason isn't on the field—it’s whether the front office gives Bullen the full-time job. His aggressive philosophy is the only reason this defense has a pulse.