Patrick Graham's defense was the difference-maker once again for the Giants on Sunday

Joe Judge has done a remarkable job turning around the Giants in his first season as their head coach. He might even get Coach of the Year votes for the way he’s held this team together and led them to first place in December.

But as good of a job as Judge has done – and it’s really been terrific – he may not be the one who’s done the best coaching job on the Giants’ staff. That honor probably belongs to defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.

And teams looking for a new head coach should probably take notice this offseason, because Graham’s defense is the reason the Giants are rolling towards the playoffs right now.

“We always joke around about how Pat is like a computer,” said Giants defensive end Leonard Williams. “He’s just like a genius when it comes to scheme-ing guys and understanding who he has and who he has to go against. He just puts guys in great position to play their best.”

Graham did exactly that on Sunday in the Giants’ biggest game in four years – a 17-12 upset of the Seahawks in Seattle. What his defense did to the Seahawks was as stunning as anything that’s happened in the NFL this season. The Seahawks came into the game with the NFL’s fifth-ranked offense, averaging 31 points and 418 yards per game.

And the Giants just shut them down.

They had to shut them down, too. The Giants came in riding a 34-year-old journeyman backup quarterback in Colt McCoy, forced to start because quarterback Daniel Jones was out with a hamstring injury. So they knew they couldn’t count on their offense. They knew their only hope was for the defense to nearly pitch a shutout.

And amazingly, they almost did. They held the Seahawks to just one late touchdown and one early field goal and only 327 total yards. They made Russell Wilson – “one of the best quarterbacks in the world,” Judge said – look ordinary, and at times very confused.

That was their plan, too, “to try to confuse him in the passing game,” Judge said, “which is a lot easier said than done. He’s beat everything you can throw at him defensively.”

He just couldn’t beat what Graham threw.

That’s remarkable, though perhaps not surprising given the job Graham has done this season. The 41-year-old, in only his second NFL season as a defensive coordinator, wasn’t exactly handed a roster dripping with talent. Yes, GM Dave Gettleman did improve it in the offseason with the addition of free agents like cornerback James Bradberry and linebackers Blake Martinez and Kyler Fackrell. But it was still definitely flawed, especially when he lost DeAndre Baker and Sam Beal at corner, and Lorenzo Carter, Oshane Ximines and Markus Golden at edge rusher.

Graham didn’t blink and pieced together a scheme that rotates a ton of young players throughout the game. And it’s a testament to him that when he puts players like rookie linebackers Carter Coughlin and Tae Crowder or defensive end Niko Lalos on the field, they always seem to be in position to make plays.

“I was giving props on the sideline to Pat for how good he’s been doing with the guys that he has,” Williams said. “I feel like a lot of these young guys have been stepping up big for us.”

“He’s done a hell of a job as the year went on as he started to get to know his guys better, what we’re good at,” added safety Jabrill Peppers, “and putting us in position to make plays.”

And they do. Williams has a career-high 8 ½ sacks. Bradberry is playing at a Pro Bowl level. He’s gotten huge contributions from his rookie linebackers Coughlin, Crowder and Cam Brown. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is showing why he was selected in the first round. It would be hard to find a player on this defense who is underachieving.

That says a lot about the coach.

And Graham and his scheme deserve that credit, because without his defense the Giants would be nowhere. The Giants’ defense entered this game ranked 10^th overall, despite having to carry the NFL’s fourth-worst offense. The Giants have been in every game but one this season, taking it right down to the fourth quarter. It’s always been the defense that’s taken them there.

The only thing missing was what happened on Sunday: The defense hadn’t really done it against a top opponent. The Giants hadn’t beaten a winning team. Now they have, and again it’s mostly because of the defense.

And the revival of the Giants defense this year is mostly because of Graham.