Palladino: Giants' Defense Could Make Noise In The Postseason

By Ernie Palladino
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The Giants may still have their problems, but if they proved anything during last week's win over Dallas, it's that they're good enough to dream.

So, let's dream.

About the postseason, that is.

Barring a running of the table by Washington (7-5-1), Minnesota (7-5), or Green Bay (7-5), all of whom hold advantages in either winning percentage or the head-to-head tiebreaker, one more victory ought to secure Ben McAdoo's group a playoff spot. And if that happens, there is every reason to believe the Giants (9-4) have positioned themselves to make some noise.

Perhaps even mount yet another magical run to the Super Bowl.

Why?

Defense.

It's peaking right now. If it continues on an upward arc, even the toughest of playoff opponents would be hard-pressed to score more than a handful of points.

And let's all remember, it's defense that wins in the postseason. The Denver  Broncos went all the way because of that unit last year, capping a championship run with a spirited bailout of an over-the-hill Peyton Manning.

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The Broncos finished the 2015 regular season as the AFC's ninth-rated scoring team with 355 points. And they didn't score more than the 24 points they put up against the NFL's top-scoring team Carolina in the Super Bowl. But the Von Miller/Malik Jackson-led defense allowed just 16 and 18 points to Pittsburgh and New England in the respective divisional and conference championship games before they turned Cam Newton into a pouting punching bag.

They even got a defensive touchdown out of it when Jackson recovered a fumble in the end zone.

It wouldn't be un-Giants-like for them to ride their defense through the playoffs, either. They don't have a linebacker like Miller, but they do have other difference-makers.

Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's defense has turned into one of the best in the league. The fact that it held Dallas to one touchdown and didn't let Ezekiel Elliott near the end zone during a 107-yard rushing game says as much.

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Just as much is the fact that the Giants did this not with an injured Jason Pierre-Paul, but with undrafted rookie defensive end Romeo Okwara. The Notre Dame product made like a seasoned pro in hitting Dak Prescott three times, sacking him once, and leading the team with eight tackles.

As for veteran leadership, the trio of defensive tackle Damon Harrison, defensive end Olivier Vernon, cornerback Janoris Jenkins, and safety Landon Collins have melded the unit during the second half of the season into a veritable hitting machine. Jenkins and Collins have become arguably the top cornerback and safety combination in the league, while Vernon continues to apply pressure at the most opportune moments.

Of course, it would help a lot if the offense showed something more than it's one-man (Odell Beckham, Jr.) character, preferably this week against the Lions. But it is what it is, and it probably won't transform into a scoring machine anytime soon. In fact, assuming the whole team doesn't go into a tailspin against the Lions, Eagles, and Redskins, it may hit the postseason without scoring 30 points in any game.

That's not exactly a dream scenario. But Denver only reached that plateau twice last year.

The Giants can afford to dream, even though more work remains ahead. But if they get the one or two wins it takes to lock down a postseason spot while keeping the remaining key cogs of the defense in one piece, they might just make a lot of noise in January.

They could even ride that unit into February and Super Bowl LI.

It wouldn't be unheard of.

And as the Dallas game proved, the Giants are good enough to dream about such things.

Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino