3 things the Cowboys must watch for against new-look Giants
2. Don Martindale’s defense is looking strong
Although the Giants are missing a lot of key players on defense, their front seven looks very strong and will be looking to make Cooper Rush’s job very difficult. With a banged-up offensive line, this could be a big area of struggle for Dallas. Martindale is known for sending in the blitz often, and that will put a lot of pressure on a quarterback with only two NFL starts to his name.
Martindale’s aggressive playstyle has certainly worked so far. They held Derrick Henry to just 82 yards and completely shut down the Panthers’ offense in the second half of Week 2.
Perhaps the most impressive part of all of this is that New York has been playing without top pass rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari. Martindale has lined up seven different defenders on the line of scrimmage to make up for the loss. However, there’s a chance both of them will be ready for Monday night which just adds another layer of strength to this defensive unit.
All but three #Giants defenders at or near the line of scrimmage before the snap.
— Dan Schneier (@DanSchneierNFL) September 20, 2022
All but four defenders in the right spots in coverage giving the QB nowhere to go with the ball.
This is the Wink Martindale defense and I can sure get used to watching this. #TogetherBlue pic.twitter.com/2FVPCEsi0c
The strongest cog in this machine is nose tackle Dexter Lawrence. The fourth-year player has six pressures and has made huge plays with his size and surprising speed for this New York team.
This team is certainly not afraid to take risks. Daboll knows that about his DC:
“Wink’s done this a long time. Wink’s not afraid of failure.”