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Giants quarterback Russell Wilson must cut down on negative plays in 2025, New York’s season may depend on it.
Head coach Brian Daboll and the New York Giants plan on starting Russell Wilson Week 1, but the veteran quarterback may need to produce at a high level to hold off first-round rookie Jaxson Dart.
Dart was widely successful during the preseason, perhaps even accelerating his timeline to get on the field during the regular season.
However, as Daboll enters the 2025 campaign very much with his job on the line, and Wilson looks to turn back the clock, the 36-year-old veteran is going to need to prove he can be much more effective creating positive plays and that he’s left his struggles from the past two years with the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers far in the rearview.
“Wilson produced a positive play last season at the lowest rate (19.6%) of the 32 projected starting quarterbacks in 2025,” John Kosko writes for Pro Football Focus, pointing out Wilson’s biggest weakness. “While he can still unleash a beauty of a big-time throw (6.1%, tied for fifth in the NFL), living off the big play isn’t a winning recipe in the NFL.
“Wilson’s big-time throw rate last season tied with Lamar Jackson, but Jackson earned a positive grade at a rate nearly 12 percentage points higher. Wilson’s NFL days are likely numbered, especially when his team just threw a dart at a quarterback in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.”
Last season, Wilson passed for 2,482 yards with 16 touchdowns to five interceptions, but struggled mightily down the stretch as the Steelers’ offense seemed to sputter in some of Pittsburgh’s biggest games of the season.
Over the past three seasons, Wilson has tossed 24 interceptions, including tying the second-most of his career, with 11, back in 2022.
The Giants’ chances of being competitive enough to save Daboll’s job, make progress towards a return to the postseason, and for Wilson to stay on the field may hinge on the veteran quarterback being much more effective than he has been in the recent past.
Giants’ Abdul Carter Makes Big Decision
GettyNew York Giants rookie pass rusher Abdul Carter warming up during a training camp practice session.
It was a long and winding road for Giants rookie edge rusher Abdul Carter to pick a jersey number this spring.
Rebuffed by Lawrence Taylor, when Carter wanted to wear the No. 56 that the Hall of Famer made famous during his Giants career, the former Penn State standout ultimately settled on No. 51.
Now, as the regular season opener approaches, Carter announced on social media that he is sticking with the number.
Carter flashed explosiveness and the ability to be a disruptive force during a stellar training camp and preseason that caught the eye of Giants legend Carl Banks.
“I think the Giants have entered into the modern NFL and how they can strategically defend,” Banks says, of Carter’s impact. “It takes a lot of pressure off your play-callers, when they know they can call something in there and there could be a matchup issue on the back-end of your defense. It allows you to call defenses that will often negate the advantage that an offense has, at wide receiver vs. cornerback or something vs. safety.
“Some teams blitz a lot, to try to take away the quarterback’s access to his favorite receiver. But, when you have a balanced pass rush with three or four guys who can really get there, it limits what an offense can do in their passing game. It kind of limits how they approach your defense, because they have to account for your pass rush.”
Matt Lombardo covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. Founder, NFL Insider for Between The Hashmarks and host of the Between The Hashmarks Podcast. A seasoned NFL reporter with over a decade of experience, he previously served as FanSided’s national NFL insider and host of “The Matt Lombardo Show” podcast. Past stops also include NJ.com and radio for 97.5 The Fanatic and 97.3 ESPN FM. More about Matt Lombardo
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