Giants Now: Pro Football Focus lauds Micah McFadden
The Giants defense has looked considerably improved in recent weeks, and a big part of that has been the strong play from the team's inside linebackers.
Veteran Bobby Okereke has received plenty of praise lately, and rightfully so. But second-year linebacker Micah McFadden has quietly put together a couple of dominant performances in the middle of the Giants defense.
McFadden registered five total tackles, 0.5 sacks and two quarterback hits in Sunday's win over the Commanders. He picked up two quarterback pressures on just eight blitzes, good for a 25.0 percent quarterback pressure rate, the highest mark on the team. His play also earned him the highest grade from Pro Football Focus of any linebacker in Week 7, and represented the second consecutive week McFadden received an elite grade from PFF.
In last week's close loss to the Bills, the 23-year-old finished with seven tackles (three solo), an interception, a fumble recovery and a quarterback hit. The analytics site rewarded him with an 87.9 overall grade.
McFadden also rushed the quarterback six times in Week 6 and picked up three quarterback pressures, good for a quarterback pressure rate of 50.0 percent, which once again was the highest on the team (according to Next Gen Stats).
During the same two-game stretch, Okereke has totaled 22 tackles (15 solo), three passes defensed, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble to go with five quarterback pressures. This came right after the veteran recorded his first interception of the season and tipped another pass right to Jason Pinnock for a second interception in Week 5 against the Dolphins.
The emergence of McFadden and Okereke has played a crucial role in the Giants' recent defensive surge.
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