Giants' Abdul Carter Ranks Third Among NFL Edge Rushers in PFF Grade

Oct 20

4 min read

Updated: 11 minutes ago

Published Oct 20, 2026, 2:05 PM ET | By Vincent Rapisardi

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Carter is also tied for the top pass rush win rate among NFL edge rushers, as we covered in Giants' Abdul Carter Ties for Top Spot in ESPN Pass Rush Win Rate.

Abdul Carter has become the steadiest piece of a Giants pass rush that lost its best player in September. The second-year outside linebacker owns an 87.9 overall grade from PFF, the third-best mark among NFL edge rushers this season, and New York will lean on him again Sunday in Houston.

The ranking, shared by Big Blue Film Room on X, comes with a more modest box-score line: Carter has two sacks and nine pressures in 2026, according to Pro Football Reference. The post's verdict was direct: "His ability to create quick pressures has been elite."

Carter's grade held up through a quiet week. He missed practice Wednesday and Thursday with a calf injury before the Saints game, then finished Sunday's 34-27 loss with one quarterback hit. Kayvon Thibodeaux carried more of the edge production that day, as we covered in Kayvon Thibodeaux Posts 73.5 PFF Grade for Giants vs Saints.

Why Abdul Carter's PFF Grade Outruns His Sack Total

PFF grades every snap instead of counting only the plays that end on the ground. By its charting, Carter has 21 total pressures, built on 14 hurries, five quarterback hits and two sacks, and his PFF player page lists an 86.1 pass-rush grade that ranks fourth among 115 qualified edge defenders.

The gap between 21 pressures and the nine on Pro Football Reference reflects how differently the two sites chart a pressure. Both credit him with two sacks.

Carter has made the same argument. "I do think sacks are overrated," he told NJ.com earlier this month. "It forces them to make quick decisions, and they might throw a turnover."

The rookie-year baseline supports him. Carter piled up 66 pressures in 17 games in 2025 after the Giants drafted him third overall, according to NJ.com, and his PFF pass-rush grade that season was 84.5.

Abdul Carter Is Now the Giants' Pass Rush Without Brian Burns

The stakes changed in Week 3. Brian Burns tore his ACL in the fourth quarter of the Giants' 12-7 win over the Titans and was placed on injured reserve, Giants.com reported. Burns was coming off a second-team All-Pro season in which he set career highs with 16.5 sacks and 31 quarterback hits.

Carter answered with his best stretch of the season. In the Week 4 win over Arizona, he led the Giants with six pressures and a 90.1 PFF pass-rush grade, per NJ.com. A week later in Washington, he added five pressures, a sack and a forced fumble.

Abdul Carter has the 5th best PFF pass rushing grade among edge rushers (86.4). This past week, Carter had 5 pressures, a sack, and a forced fumble. … — Big Blue Film Room (@BigBlueFilmRoom) on X, October 14, 2026

The honest caveat is the finishing. Two sacks through six games is a thin total for a top-five pass rusher, and Carter had four as a rookie.

The Giants have also manufactured pressure with numbers: they blitzed the Commanders on 62% of dropbacks in Week 5, their highest rate in a game since 2023, as we detailed in Giants Blitz Plan vs Saints: Dennard Wilson Expected to Send the House.

What Comes Next for Abdul Carter and the Giants

The 3-2-1 Giants visit the Texans at 1 p.m. ET Sunday in their final game before the bye. The post did not address Carter's health, so his calf and his status on this week's injury report are the first things to watch.

The edge group around him is also thinner. The Giants released veteran Jihad Ward on Tuesday, as we covered in Giants Release Jihad Ward After Two Games and 41 Defensive Snaps, which puts more on Carter and Thibodeaux against Houston.

Our Take: Abdul Carter's Grade Is Real, but the Giants Need Finishes

I like the pressure numbers on Abdul Carter. Hurries and hits change quarterbacks' clocks, and PFF's 87.9 grade says he wins snaps most edge rushers don't.

My issue is the finish, and I've said it since September. A top-five pick needs more than two sacks through six games, especially with Brian Burns on injured reserve.

The gap between 21 PFF pressures and two sacks is the whole story. Some of that is luck, and pressures usually convert over a full season.

The Giants can't wait on the average to catch up, though. Against Houston, I want to see Carter turn quick wins into sacks and strip chances, not just hurried throws.

Carter is in his second season, and the tools are obvious. The finish is the last step, and it's the one that wins games.

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