Abdul Carter has officially flipped the script. After a rocky few weeks marked by missed meetings, lateness, and missed playing time, the Giants‘ first-round pick delivered a performance that left no doubts: he’s disciplined, locked in, and utterly dominant.
From the opening snap against the Washington Commanders, Carter was everywhere. He pressured and sacked Marcus Mariota, blew up running lanes, and forced and recovered fumbles that shifted the momentum of the game. Every play was a testament to the preparation, focus, and extra work he has put in to show his dedication to the team and finishing the season strong.
Carter Demonstrates Superstar Potential vs. Commanders
Carter had not lived up to his potential as a game-breaking edge rusher and the third overall pick in the 2025 draft, even when on the field. He had just 1.5 sacks before this game, despite having a high number of pressures, which now sits at 44.
He finished this game with seven total tackles, including three for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery, being the first rookie since 1999 to accomplish the impressive cumulative feat.
After dominating college competition with the Nittany Lions, he impressed through training camp and the preseason, but the regular season posed stiff challenges. Offensive tackles in the NFL are bigger, faster, and stronger, causing Carter to have to adapt on the fly and invent new moves in addition to his signature speed rush to the quarterback.
On top of that, he had several issues off the field, being benched by Mike Kafka for missing a walkthrough against the Packers, before missing the entire first quarter against the Patriots due to being late and missing a special teams meeting.
However, he has since improved his work ethic, and his performance on the field has matched the work he put in this past week.
Carter Has Been Going The Extra Mile Lately
Since the bye week, Carter has taken the criticisms and benching to heart, putting in more work to remedy earlier mistakes and lapses in judgment. He arrived at the facility early, stayed in late, and spent extra time in the film room to study the Commanders this past week.
Carter stated, “I’m just trying to be a better teammate. Obviously, I’ve made some mistakes that were critical for the team, but I’m just trying to be a better pro. If I keep doing the same things over and over again, I’m going to get the same results, so I’m just trying to come up with different things to be a better teammate.”
His improvements were noticed by multiple coaches, with Kafka commenting, “What he’s doing is he’s trying to build some routines for himself. I think as a young player, that’s part of the process — figuring out, ‘When do I get this prep in? When do I get this prep in? When do I take care of my body in the training room?’”
Fellow players, including Carter’s linemates, also took note, with Brian Burns calling Week 15 Carter’s “coming out party.” Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence took a nuanced approach, agreeing with Giants reporter Dan Duggan that the rookie can respond to criticism, but just for this week.
Lawrence added, “Greatness is doing it over weeks. Being consistent. That’s what he can get to. He’s just got to stick with the process and understand who he is and keep that approach to the game every week.”
With comparisons to Lawrence Taylor and Micah Parsons, Carter entered the franchise with the potential to be the next great Penn State edge rusher/linebacker in the NFL. If he can continue his trajectory on and off the field, he could develop into an All-Pro for many seasons to come.
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