On a Giants defense that, through the first five weeks of the 2024 season, leads the NFL with 22 sacks, the pass rush is living up to its preseason hype of being one of the league’s very best.
At the center of it all, both literally and figuratively, is Giants superstar defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who, even by his standards, is on track to have a career year.
Through five games, Lawrence’s six sacks are second in the NFL only to the Detroit Lions’ second-year phenom Aidan Hutchinson, who has 6.5. And when you consider the fact that Lawrence is a nose tackle, that makes the feat even more impressive.
Lawrence’s six sacks are already only 1.5 shy of his career high, which he recorded in 2022 — a season in which Lawrence was a Second-Team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler.
Three of his six sacks came in Sunday’s 29-20 victory over the Seahawks while upping his 2024 totals to 12 QB pressures while boasting a missed-tackle percentage of 0%. He is as efficient as he is effective.
“I think we executed the plan well, and the defensive backs were covering well,” Lawrence said. “They gave us time to get there. [Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith] was looking for a second and third read, and that gave us time.”
Isaiah Simmons’ FG block preserves Giants’ 29-20 win over Seahawks
The always charismatic Lawrence, known by many as “Sexy Dexy,” is more than a sack and dancing specialist as he is also lauded as one of the NFL’s very best run-stoppers. The Giants were able to hold Seahawks star running back Kenneth Walker to 19 yards on five carries.
“It was a big emphasis,” Lawrence said. “He’s a special running back. We had to stop the run early and often, and the offense put up points for us, so we didn’t have to worry about it too much.”
The Giants, who are now 2-3 on the season, will look to move back to .500 on the season when they return home to take on the Cincinnati Bengals, who are struggling to start the season.
