Giants are aware that run defense needs to be much better

Just before offering the Giants defensive coordinator job to Shane Bowen, head coach Brian Daboll asked him one last question.

“Can you make our run defense look like this, please?”

The annual success that Bowen’s plan had in stopping the run with the Titans has not carried over to the Giants, who are tied for last in the league with 5.4 yards allowed per carry and ranked No. 25 ​​with 138.1 rushing yards allowed per game.

“We have to have a more attacking mentality,” Bowen said. “Playing on the other side of the line of scrimmage, finding ways to eliminate some space, making sure we’re playing with techniques and fundamentals and using our hands.

“You have to be able to change the math sometimes and (have) guys tackle two blockers and steal some bodies that way to be able to put things right. Or you count on having everything fit perfectly every time.”

The Steelers, who host the Giants on Monday nighttry the second most rushes per game. If the Giants play from behind, it’s a formula for disaster.

“We need to eliminate some of those explosives and continue to improve the approach. But that is a challenge every week,” said Daboll. “How the game goes is also part of that. We have to do a good job of putting walls down early (and) putting up edges, but it’s also a supplementary play where they just can’t keep running the ball when they’re up, which they are.

Of course, Bowen wasn’t able to bring the Titans’ defensive staff along to reduce the number of double- and triple-teams thrown at All-Pro Dexter Lawrence.

The Giants are paying for not replacing defensive tackles Leonard Williams and A’Shawn Robinson from last season’s team — they are No. 30 in rushing yards allowed per carry over the middle (5.64).

It’s not much better if the offense runs through the right guard (No. 29, 6 per carry), right tackle (No. 27, 5.31) or to the right at cornerback (No. 32, 8.56).

“Your strength is determined by how you run the ball and how you stop the run,” Bowen said. “There are a lot of good clips in it. But (when) you give up three for 133 yards, it becomes dramatically lopsided.

The Eagles had four runs of 15 yards or more and seven of 12 or more against the Giants last week.

“They had a really good plan that we didn’t adapt to,” linebacker Bobby Okereke said. “It’s a chess game and they beat us in those matchups.”

In that analogy, Daboll hopes Bowen’s plan becomes the Giants’ tower.