Article 70S5W Giants' improved offensive line will face tall task against Broncos in Week 7

Giants' improved offensive line will face tall task against Broncos in Week 7

by
from on (#70S5W)

While rookies Jaxson Dart andCam Skattebo have been dominating the headlines, the biggest reason for the Giants' recent resurgence may lie on the offensive line.

Ever since Andrew Thomas returned to full-time action, the line has flipped from looking completely overmatched to being the strength of the offense. The All-Pro is clearly the leader of that unit and his ability to block on an island and protect the blindside has freed up everyone else to focus on their roles.

The Giants entered this season 15-16-1 in the 32 games Thomas has started for them, but had won just three of the 19 games he missed. Simply put, they have been a competitive team with him in the lineup and overmatched without him.

That trend has held this year as the Giants are 2-1 in the three games where he had a full-time role. They are otherwise 0-3, which includes the game against the Chiefs where he was on a snap count and the team was competitive until he exited, then fell apart in the second half.

Thomas is regarded as a bit of a perfectionist, but he was pleased with their performance against the Eagles on Thursday night.

"We wanted to dominate the line of scrimmage," he said, adding that he thought they did a good job of that. New York racked up 172 yards on the ground and scored four rushing touchdowns in the 34-17 upset win.

While Thomas' own performance has been outstanding - the two pressures he gave up against the Eagles were the first he had given up all year - the domino effect he has had on everyone else is palpable.

One player in particular who seems to be on the rise is starting center John Michael Schmitz, whose first two seasons were disappointing after he was a second-round pick in 2023.

Schmitz departed early with a concussion on Thursday night, but the long week gives him a chance to return in time for Sunday. If he can't, Austin Schlottmann - who held up well in that role as he filled in for Schmitz against the Eagles - would be in line to start.

Keeping up the momentum is vital for the Giants, but they won't face many tougher tests than this weekend's matchup with the Denver Broncos.

4eb04b93146751d9dc2b2f1ab7eb15de Oct 9, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) and running back Cam Skattebo (44) celebrate Skattebo's touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

As if the challenge of a long road trip and a game played at altitude wasn't tough enough, their opponent is the team that led the NFL in sacks last year and looks even more dangerous in 2025 as they have 10 more sacks than any other team.

On Sunday, the Broncos racked up nine sacks in a 13-11 win over the Jets in London, so the Giants are clearly going to have their work cut out for them to keep Dart protected.

A lot of the attention has been focused on Nik Bonitto, who is leading the league in sacks with eight in the first six games and starting to garner some Defensive Player of the Year buzz.

Bonitto lines up on the right, so he'll be Thomas' responsibility on Sunday. Thomas is ready for the challenge but praised Bonitto's explosiveness and bend during the week, noting that what makes him so tough is that he can also power rush.

If Thomas and Bonitto cancel each other out, that's only half the job for New York's offensive line. Bonitto only had one of those nine sacks in London, and they have Jonathon Cooper, who was into double-digits for sacks last season, coming off the other edge. Cooper had two sacks on Sunday, including the fourth down sack with time winding down that preserved the win.

In addition, Denver's starting lineup also features Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers on the defensive interior. The pair combined for 15.5 sacks last season and Allen was named as a second team All-Pro.

Bonitto was quick to note after Sunday's game in London how their defensive success isn't all about him.

"I love the way we were rushing today," he said, "Loved the way we were blitzing, how everybody is doing their part on the defense and making plays."

If the Giants can keep Dart upright and move the ball on the ground against the Broncos, that will bode well for the rest of the season because they will start to feel they can dominate against anyone.

Don't be surprised if this game proves to be a wake-up call for them, though, because the Denver defense is extremely impressive.

External Content
Source RSS or Atom Feed
Feed Location http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/rss.xml
Feed Title
Feed Link http://sports.yahoo.com/
Reply 0 comments