New York Giants: Eli proves he should retire as talent around him shines in loss

Sterling Shepard’s Sunday performance showed all New York Giants fans why the team was so high on him coming out of Oklahoma. So, it is Eli Manning who bears weight of losing a winnable game.

Sterling Shepard‘s performance on Sunday in the New York Giants‘ loss was a hint of something to come. His skill set makes him a weapon on offense to compliment the bevy of talent around him.

Shepard can get lost in the woodwork that is the Giant’s offense. With Odell Beckham Jr., Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram, and Eli Manning running the show, one could easily forget about Shepard.

People forget that Shepard’s combine numbers were better across the board, than Beckham’s. He has some of the surest hands in the NFL having only fumbled the ball one time in 31 NFL games.

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Yesterday, Sterling was a safety blanket for Manning during the match up with the Saints. He scored the teams first touchdown, and was all over the field.

I would like to think that if Manning was somewhat competent, Shepard’s numbers would’ve been more eye-opening.

Shepard hauled in 10 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.

This is a great stat line nonetheless, but with the right person behind center, we would’ve been talking about a breakout performance.

Sterling is trending in the right direction, especially as the Giants become one-dimensional. Barkley has been everything advertised for the team, but he can’t carry the bulk of the offense, especially just four games into his professional career.

Shepard has been great during a season where he needs to prove himself. He could be the X-factor on a future Giant’s contender.

Changing of the Guard

I’ve written about Ereck Flowers, and the woes of the Giants offensive line before. The unit doesn’t always look that great, but yesterday they weren’t bad. Manning was sacked three times, a season low.

The New Orleans Saints defense is not the same group it was last year, but they can still get after the quarterback.

The point is, Manning needs to hang up the cleats.

There were no throws that impressed me yesterday. Early in the game, he overthrew Odell on two different throws. Besides that, there was not a single aggressive play from the Giants’ offense.

Engram was out which is a big loss, but the amount of weapons around Manning should make the game easier. He’s never had players this good on any of his teams, it’s time to start unleashing them before the Giants miss this window of opportunity.

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Right now, the Giants are in a conquerable division with all four teams puttering along in the NFC. The defense, spearheaded by standout, Landon Collins, is ready, the weapons on offense are a rare commodity, just need a signal caller to utilize the talent around.

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