New York Giants: Takeaways from Another Loss

The New York Giants lost a heartbreaker after the Philadelphia Eagles rookie kicker Jake Elliott nailed a 61-yard field goal as time expired. This 0-3 start is tough to swallow but there were some encouraging signs from their Week 3 defeat.

Watching that 61-yarder go through the uprights hurt. I was waiting for Odell Beckham Jr. to return the missed field goal when the attempt fell short. Unfortunately for the New York Giants, Jake Elliott nailed the game-winning field goal and Big Blue fell to 0-3.

After showing no signs of life in their first two losses, the Giants actually had a chance in Week 3. The first half was ugly but they came roaring back in the second half behind an Eli Manning that looked like the Eli Manning of old.

Yes, a loss is a loss, but this one was more encouraging than the first two. Here are the takeaways from the New York Giants Week 3 loss:

Odell Beckham Jr. Makes All the Difference

OBJ missed Week 1 and was limited in Week 2 due to a preseason ankle injury. Beckham Jr. was unleashed and unlimited in Week 3 and he put up the numbers we are accustomed to seeing from him.

Our Week 3 Offensive Game Breaker secured nine of 13 targets for 79 yards and two touchdowns. His presence also allowed the entire passing game to take off.

Brandon Marshall had his best game as a Giant, catching eight of 11 targets for 66 yards.

Sterling Shepard had his best game this season, hauling in seven of ten targets for 133 yards and a touchdown. Shepard also had two grabs that looked like touchdowns called incomplete.

Eli Manning was also able to finally top 300 yards passing, totaling 366 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.

I personally am not bothered by OBJ’s touchdown celebration. As long as he keeps producing, he can celebrate as he wants.

The New York Giants have a steep hill to climb after starting 0-3, but with Odell Beckham Jr. healthy, this offense stands a chance and can’t be counted out.

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The Running Game Is Still Not There

Despite the passing game taking off, the New York Giants still struggled to run the ball on Sunday.

Paul Perkins, Orleans Darkwa, and Shane Vereen combined to run the ball 17 times for just 49 yards (2.9 avg). The limited amount of carries is, in part, because they were trailing for most of the game but the lack of success is still concerning.

Perkins and Darkwa each picked up 22 yards, with Perkins needing nine carries to do so while Darkwa needed just seven. While neither running back was particularly impressive, Darkwa once again had more success running the ball. He’s led the Giants in yards per carry in all three games this year.

Darkwa was stuffed at the goal line on fourth down but that was more a product of the offensive line getting blown up.

I have repeatedly said that I believe Orleans Darkwa deserves more carries. This week’s nine-seven carries split between Perkins and Darkwa could be an indication that Darkwa is moving closer to taking over the starting role.

Whoever is starting, the New York Giants need to get their running game going in order to balance their offense and put more points on the board.

Eli Manning Cannot Turn the Ball Over

Eli threw two interceptions on Sunday and neither can be blamed on anyone but Manning.

On the first interception, Eli tried to force the ball downfield to Brandon Marshall. I understand that Marshall is the big-bodied receiver who was brought in to win jump balls. However, at no point on that play was Brandon Marshall open and it resulted in an interception by rookie Rasul Douglas that quickly ended a drive that seemed like it was going somewhere.

I’m not sure what Eli was thinking on his second pick. Manning tried to force a throw to Odell Beckham Jr. and completely missed Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks cutting across the field. Kendricks tipped the ball up in the air and it was intercepted by Patrick Robinson.

Yes, Big Blue wanted to get the ball in Odell’s hands as quickly as possible on Sunday but Manning has to see a linebacker undercutting the route.

With the way their offense has been struggling, the New York Giants can’t afford to give the ball away. Each drive is precious and they can’t have them get cut short. Eli Manning needs to protect the ball moving forward.

Getting the Ball Out of Eli’s Hands Quickly Is Key

Eli Manning released the ball on average in 1.85 seconds on Sunday, according to Pro Football Focus. That was faster than any other NFL quarterback by 0.44 seconds.

Getting the ball out of Eli’s hands quickly is crucial to hiding a weak offensive line. The less time Ereck Flowers and company need to block for, the better.

This trend of quick passing will likely continue. Having Odell Beckham Jr. healthy and capable of turning quick passes into big plays is also key moving forward.

The Offense Is Getting Simpler, but Is It Too Simple?

According to Pro Football Focus, the New York Giants ran 11 personnel (one RB, one TE) 89% of the time against the Eagles. This is well above the NFL average of 58% and higher than the 75% of 11 personnel Big Blue ran in Week 2.

The Giants ran 11 personnel 90% of the time in 2016 and were criticized for being too predictable and too easy for defenses to gameplan for.

Yes, the offense had more success on Sunday than in the previous two games, but if New York reverts back to running the same offensive formation for almost the whole game, defenses will once again be able to shut them down.

Perhaps a change in play-calling duties from Ben McAdoo to Mike Sullivan will diversify the offense. However, after the offense showed signs of life against Philadelphia, it’s unlikely McAdoo surrenders the play-calling in Week 4.

If Ben McAdoo is going to continue to call plays, he needs to find plays that work from multiple offensive formations. Otherwise, the New York Giants could continue to struggle to get into the win column.

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Big Blue’s Week 3 performance showed some encouraging signs but they still came up short. They need to keep working and improving and will look to get their first victory of the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4.