Abdul Carter on verge of breakout as Giants’ prime time Commanders test looms

The Giants’ Abdul Carter pressures NFL quarterbacks quicker than any other edge rusher in just 2.46 seconds on average.

The Eagles double-teamed Carter 10 times in last Sunday’s Giants win in Philadelphia, the most doubles faced by any other edge in the league in Week 9.

Carter’s 35% pass rush win rate ranks second among all NFL defensive players behind only the Dolphins’ Chop Robinson.

Every metric, including the film, shows Carter is one of the most explosive and disruptive pass rushers in the NFL. Every metric, that is, except for sacks.

Not that Carter, 23, cares if his two sacks through the Giants’ first eight games don’t properly reflect his impact on his first-place team. He promised the Daily News on Tuesday that when the lights get brightest, the country will see his production match his dominance.

“If we’re gonna keep winning, once we get to a playoff game, and I maybe get to a playoff game, I can go off for two or three sacks, that’s when I want people to care about it,” Carter said at his locker. “And that’s when I really will care about it the most: When we get to that playoff game and when we gotta be at our best to win the main thing? That’s when I’m gonna care about the stats the most — if it’s helping us win the game.”

Carter is undeniably an X-factor responsible for the Giants’ consistent winning entering Thursday night’s prime time game against the Washington Commanders.

In their Week 7 overtime win in Houston, Carter drew a third down holding penalty on left tackle Aireontae Ersery that forced the Texans to punt the ball away in OT. Houston never got it back.

“He took over the game, pass rush-wise,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s always believed he can be that kind of player. You see it starting to happen right now.”

Harbaugh revealed after the win that Carter had spoken to the team at halftime.

“No matter, what empty the tank,” Carter told the team. “No matter what, come back in here with nothing left.”

Harbaugh then had Carter address the team on the field before they faced the Eagles in his hometown of Philadelphia. That’s encouraging growth for a second-year player who had discipline issues as a rookie when it came to attendance or tardiness at some practices and meetings.

Carter then commanded most of the Eagles O-Line’s attention while the rest of the Giants defense erupted for seven sacks. That included three sacks for rookie linebacker Arvell Reese, who was named the NFC’s defensive player of the week.

“All I care about is winning the game,” Carter said. “If we lose and I didn’t have the stats I wanted, then I’d be pissed. But if we win — and we had seven sacks the other day, I didn’t have one, but all the guys had one and we got the win — I couldn’t be happier. So as long as we get the win, I have no complaints.”

What blows away everyone who watches Carter are his rare physical traits. The top one is his “get-off” at the line of scrimmage, defensive tackle D.J. Reader said, or how quickly Carter gets his first step down and gets to his third step up field.

“He’s got one of the quickest first steps I’ve ever been around,” Reader said.

Carter doesn’t pretend to have some magic secret. He said the main reason for his quick first step is “I’m just blessed by God, I would say.”

But Reader also said Carter has “a really good knack” of using “reactive moves” and “quick counters” at the top of his rushes that are just as violent and explosive as his first step. And he’s just as quick pushing off in either direction.

“I try to think about it like basketball,” Carter told The News. “You look at all the great ball handlers, they never get stopped and are picking up the ball. You stop one of their moves, they go into another move.”

Carter has not been 100% healthy recently. The Giants put him on a bit of a pitch-count against the Saints in Week 6. And his playing time has dropped from 93% of defensive snaps in the Giants’ first four games to 79% in their last four.

He was sick last week coming off the bye going into Philly. Then he was on this week’s injury report with knee and back issues.

He’ll be a critical part of the Giants’ plan to limit Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels’ running on Thursday, though — even if he won’t share how they’re going to do it.

“I don’t wanna give away the game plan, but we’re gonna do a better job,” Carter said. “I’ll say that.”

And he trusts that the sacks are going to come because he never loses confidence.

“For sure,” he said. “My mindset is if it’s one on one, then it’s disrespectful. If they bring two, I gotta figure out how to beat two consistently. Just keep finding ways to get better and better, and once we get to the end of the season, I’m gonna be at my best.”