The Giants Defense is best known for its pass rush. It's transitioned from Michael Strahan to Justin Tuck to Jason Pierre-Paul without missing a beat. But you may be surprised to learn that it's made a bigger impact with its secondary than its pass rush in recent years.

New York has ranked higher than 14th in sacks just once in the last five years; outside the top 20 in three of those seasons. But in interceptions, it's been one of the league's best over that span.

The Giants have put a lot of free agent dollars and draft picks into their secondary, drafting Landon Collins and Eli Apple and signing Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Janoris Jenkins. With that core, it's totaled 87 interceptions over the last five seasons. That's an average of 17.4, 3rd-best.

Interceptions have been on the decline league-wide, but New York is a defense that's defying those trends.

Team interceptions over the last five season, sorted by total picks, are shown below.

INTERCEPTIONS, 2012-2016
Team20122013201420152016Total
Arizona222018191493
Cincinnati142020211792
N.Y. Giants211717151787
Carolina112014241786
Seattle182813141184
Buffalo122319171283
Tampa Bay182114111781
Green Bay181118161780
Denver161718141479
New England201716121378
San Francisco14182391074
Kansas City7216221874
Chicago2419148873
Atlanta201016151273
Cleveland171421111073
Miami101814131671
Philadelphia81912151670
Washington21167111368
Houston15720141167
L.A.-St.L. Rams171413131067
Tennessee191312111267
Detroit11152091065
Baltimore13161161864
Indianapolis12151217864
Minnesota101213131462
San Diego14117111861
Pittsburgh101011171361
Oakland1199141659
Dallas715188957
New Orleans1512129957
N.Y. Jets1113618856
Jacksonville121169745

--Andy Richardson