The New York Giants played the New England Patriots for the final week of the NFL Preseason Thursday, Aug. 21. The former Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter had a wakeup call against the Jets, getting blocked and pinned to the field on one play that had everyone saying "Welcome to the NFL." Thursday's performance, though, reminded fans and the league of his explosiveness and threat on the pass rush.
Carter only saw a couple snaps against New England, the least amount of reps over the three-game preseason schedule. Little time on the field doesn't mean he didn't make those moments matter.
On the edge, the former Nittany Lion swerved around Sidy Sow and rushed up the middle directly towards quarterback Ben Wooldridge on a third-and-seven pass play. The pressure forced Wooldridge to throw short of completing the down. Once again on the edge in a third down, pass play situation with under nine minutes in the first quarter, offensive lineman Marcus Bryant and offensive tackle Vederian Lowe had to double-team Carter to keep him far off the Patriots' quarterback.
Every Abdul Carter pass rush snap from this preseason
— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) August 22, 2025
Via @Doug_Analytics
pic.twitter.com/nSRMQPkIw6
His explosive pass rush wasn't the only significant thing about Carter's game. Giants head coach Brian Daboll surprised him and quarterback Jaxson Dart by naming them as game day captains to represent the team in the coin toss. It was a look into New York's future not only with young talent, but with young leadership on the rise.
Carter played all over the defense during OTAs and camp as the Giants tried to find the best fit for his skillset in combination with Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. He was tested at outside linebacker, defensive tackle, and inside linebacker. Given his reps in the preseason, the rookie should be a consistent face in the rotation at edge.
It's unsure if Carter will 100 percent start, especially in the first few weeks of the regular season, but his preseason performance proved that the Giants shouldn't keep his talent sidelined to start. It wouldn't be unlikely to see Carter get on the field starting at some point in the season either.
New York crushed New England 42-10 on Thursday to cap off its preseason with its third win. On Sunday, Sept. 7, the Giants will face the Washington Commanders on the road. Kickoff at Northwest Stadium is slated for 1 p.m. ET and the game can be watched on FOX.