When the New York Giants lost their best pass rusher, linebacker Brian Burns, to a knee injury in Week 3, defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson had to get creative.
The Giants decided to blitz more to keep the pressure on quarterbacks. Over the past two games, they've blitzed on 58 percent of defensive snaps. They haven't gotten home as much as they've hoped, but they will continue to bring the house.
"I like everybody blitzing. On our defense, everybody's a blitzer," Wilson said.
And he's sent just about everyone, including defensive backs. Cornerback Dru Phillips has four QB hits and two sacks this season.
"One thing I like about this group, they love going forward. They love attacking," added Wilson. "So, they all are attack players. So, in our
scheme, we have the ability to run blitzes from everywhere, and anybody can come from different looks. And that's the enjoyment of being in this system, running this system, and also the players fitting within the system. So, they can come from anywhere."
This week, they face a team in the Houston Texans that is not used to incessant blitzing. The Texans have been blitzed just 20 percent of the time. Only the Cincinnati Bengals (16.1 percent) have been blitzed less.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud hasn't faced much pressure, but he's done well when blitzed this season.
The Giants rank last in the NFL in pressure rate (26%)
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 23, 2026
C.J. Stroud with a clean pocket:
8.7 Y/A (#7)
12.4 yards per completion (#3)
New York has resorted to going blitz-happy to get a pass rush:
58% blitz rate the last two weeks
#2 highest % in the NFL
Stroud vs the blitz:…
"They do a good job, and they play on a string," said Stroud, who was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts against the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday in London.
"They do a lot of different coverages and blitzes," Stroud added. "I think they're a great team and definitely got to be prepared because they've shown some good things on tape."
Despite all their effort, the Giants have just 8.0 sacks this season. Only the Miami Dolphins (four) have fewer. Stroud hasn't exactly been untouchable this year. He's been sacked 14 times.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants face a Houston Texans team not used to the blitz
