New York Giants' Offense is Hot Garbage and the Smell May Linger
By Kyle Koster
The New York Giants’ offense stinks. It stinks like hot garbage baking in the sun, wafting an unpleasantness over a short-tempered city. The difference, of course, is that eventually sanitation will come and take the trash away. It could be week or even months before someone fixes the Giants offense and makes the smell go away.
For the eighth straight game, Eli Manning’s unit failed to eclipse 20 points. Tripling their season-opening total of three did little to endanger the visiting Lions — far from an offensive juggernaut — on a muggy New Jersey night. In the wake of New York’s 24-10 loss, there’s plenty of righteous finger pointing.
First and foremost, there’s a porous offensive line. Ereck Flowers’ ineptitude has been long documented. His group allowed five sacks to a mediocre Lions defense, bringing the season total to eight. Manning somehow completed 22 passes for 239 yards, an amazing stat line considering how uncomfortable and vulnerable he was in the pocket.
Then there’s a wide receiving unit significantly neutered by a banged-up Odell Beckham. Tight end Evan Engram led the way with 49 yards and a score, which he promptly turned into a 15-year unsportsmanlike penalty after grabbing his crotch. Brandon Marshall caught one pass for 17 yards and dropped a major gain on third down with the score 17-10 in the third quarter. The veteran has all of two catches on the year.
Detroit would return the ensuing punt for a score to salt the game away.
Paul Perkins rushed seven times for 10 yards. Shane Vereen busted out for 28 yards on six carries. Nothing worked, as nothing’s been working for eight games. And now the Giants have real problems with little hope of solving them.
Since 2012, only 10.5 percent of teams rebounded from an 0-2 start to make the playoffs. Losing to the Lions puts them three games behind in a potential wild-card battle between the two.
Sure, eventually Beckham will get healthy. But is he enough to turn things around significantly? Manning is 36 and being subjected to a beating every weekend. He’s now adopted his brother’s fall-down move when a defender gets close as means of self-preservation.
Ben McAdoo earned his head coaching gig on the offensive side of the ball. It’s jarring to see such a prolonged and largely pathetic trend developing. The situation is getting very dire and the smell is now impossible to ignore.