Giants' Abdul Carter faces learning curve after Jets preseason game

The New York Giants’ prized rookie passer Abdul Carter faced a defining moment of his early NFL career on Saturday, a reminder that even sky-high expectations come with hard knocks. In the second preseason game against the New York Jets, Carter was toppled by a chip block from tight end Stone Smartt and then driven to the turf by right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor. The moment, captured and widely discussed, underscored the adjustment a young edge rusher must make at the professional level. Yet even after the setback, Carter and the Giants remained focused on the bigger objective: building toward the regular season.

Carter, the third overall pick this year, has been electric in spring and summer work, flashing a disruptive inside rush that has helped him draw attention from opposing offenses. In the Week 2 preseason win over the Jets, he played 19 snaps and recorded a single tackle, with limited opportunities to showcase his full repertoire. The play that defined the night came early in the sequence: a quick, powerful chip from Smartt slowed Carter for a moment, and Okorafor followed through with a physical shove, keeping the rookie on the ground as the play developed. After the...