Giant Problems: What’s Wrong with the New York Giants
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
The historically bad start for the New York Giants hasn’t been pretty. Maybe that’s where the problem starts with the New York Giants: They’re trying to be pretty. Nobody ever talks about the trenches that we see each Sunday being established, but that’s how games are won and lost in this case. Yes, the offensive and defensive lines is why the Giants are losing.
Continue on for more information on why this is true.
1. The Nonexistent Run Game
The New York Giants have one of the worst offensive lines in the league. Not only can they not protect Eli Manning, but they can’t open holes for the run game. Of course you have to put some blame on the backs too. It seems the winning formula for Tom Coughlin’s success is to have a great run game. The years that he has had the most success are the ones where he could hand the ball to a Tiki Barber or a Brandon Jacobs and get 4 or 5 yards each time. At one point, my brother and I had it down to a science. The recipe was run, run, pass. This year has been the complete opposite.
They are averaging the least amount of run attempts per game. Evidently, another 0-5 team is just above them in that category. The Pittsburgh Steelers also haven’t trusted their backs to carry the offense. It might make sense that the New York Giants aren’t handing the ball off much considering they are just averaging 3.3 yards per carry. The Giants need to establish a run game in order to take some stress off two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Eli Manning. Eli has a habit of turning the ball over, but 13 interceptions is a lot more than his average. A reason for the spike in turnovers is probably the fact he’s been sacked 15 times already — Eli is looking more like Mark Sanchez.
If the Giants can get their average of 56.8 yards per game up, I think they can see more success for Eli and his star receivers. The same can be said about our friends in Pittsburgh, they are averaging just 58.0 yards per game. Moving the chains one by one may not be pretty, but that’s how the Giants can get back on track.
2. Lack of Pass Rush/Run Defense
Despite the big names, the Giants pass rush is nonexistent. They have accumulated just 5 sacks so far this season, which is better than just one team. Go ahead and guess who that is and surprisingly it isn’t the Jaguars. What are the Pittsburgh Steelers? Yes, the Steelers and the Giants seem to be having the same problems. I’m sure those in Jacksonville wished this was there only problem. All jokes aside, the Giants have allowed quarterbacks to stand in the pocket for hours and pick apart a somewhat successful secondary.
Not only can the defensive line not rush the passer, but they also can’t defend the run. They are tied for the 4th worst run defense in the league (based on average running yards per game). The defense needs to get back to its old ways of destroying offensive lines and not being sorry for it. The Giants have allowed the most points in the league with 182.
I believe that if the Giants can just win one game, they can gain some momentum and salvage the season. They have to limit their turnovers and play like it’s their last chance. It might as well be their last chance on Thursday when they travel to Chicago to play the Bears.