Giants defensive standouts provide pass rush test for J.J. McCarthy, Vikings O-line

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Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett is on pace for a record-setting sack year.

The Vikings faced Garrett, who has 21.5 sacks in 14 games, in Week 5 and didn’t allow him to sack then-quarterback Carson Wentz.

Now, in Week 16, Minnesota faces the No. 2 player on this year’s individual sack list: Giants edge rusher Brian Burns.

“If Myles Garrett wasn’t sacking everybody, the whole league would probably be talking about Brian Burns a little bit more,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday. “Such an elite athlete. Explosive. Has really developed his total repertoire.”

The Giants’ pass rush will attempt to shake the consistency established by Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy and the offensive line the past two weeks.

Burns has 13 sacks on the season, 8.5 behind Garrett and a half sack ahead of the Broncos’ Nik Bonitto and Packers’ Micah Parsons, who will miss the rest of the season because of an ACL tear.

Burns, though, is not the Giants’ only threat. Rookie outside linebacker Abdul Carter has a sack in each of the team’s past two games.

Carter, who the Giants drafted No. 3 overall out of Penn State in April, also leads the team in overall QB pressures with 50, two more than Burns, according to Next Gen Stats.

Carter, 22, has 14 quarterback hits and 38 total tackles. He had a season-high seven tackles against the Commanders in Week 15, along with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

“He’s trying to make a statement,” said McCarthy of Carter. “Making splash plays.”

McCarthy, who is coming off a win Sunday night against the Cowboys in which he was not sacked, said the Giants’ defensive front is “extremely athletic” and “very versatile.”

In total quarterback pressures, the Giants have 173, which ranks above five other Vikings opponents this season, including the Chargers, Ravens and Bears, who all beat the Vikings.

Also in the mix for the Giants is defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (three sacks) and outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (2.5), though neither practiced Wednesday. Thibodeaux has been out with a shoulder injury since the Giants’ game against the Bears on Nov. 9.

McCarthy also mentioned veteran defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II alongside Burns and Carter.

“Dexter, he’s always gonna be there, right in the face of the center,” McCarthy said. “Right in the face of Ryan Kelly, and we just gotta do our best to make sure they’re not a problem.”

The Vikings have had their ups and downs in allowing pressure to get to McCarthy. The offensive line has been in flux because of injuries, which will again be a potential concern against the Giants.

Right tackle Brian O’Neill (heel) and left tackle Christian Darrisaw (knee) also did not practice Wednesday. O’Neill was supposed to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam Monday following an early exit against the Cowboys; Darrisaw is continuing to work through the 2024 knee injury he returned from earlier this season.

Through all the different line combinations — and quarterbacks — the Vikings have allowed 47 sacks, the fifth-most in the league.

But McCarthy wasn’t sacked at all by the Cowboys and faced pressure on only six snaps, the fewest he has all season. Darrisaw did not appear in that game, with Justin Skule playing in his place.

Pulling that feat off again, or even keeping the Giants to a hit or two on McCarthy, could go a long way in helping the Vikings stack another win and close out their road slate on a positive note.

Though Kelly complimented the collective play of the Giants’ front, he didn’t make it out to be anything special.

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