Giants Offensive Inability Hidden By Team Success
The New York Giants offense has been a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma for the better part of the last two seasons.
In 2015, the offense ranked eighth in yards per game (372.0), seventh in passing yards per game (271.4), sixth in total points (420) and points per game (26.2). The Giants shared top billing in the NFL for most passing touchdowns (36) with the New England Patriots.
Eli Manning posted career highs in attempts (618), completions (387), touchdowns (35), and quarterback rating (93.6). His 4,432 passing yards were the second-highest total (4,933 in 2011) of his career. 2,982 of those yards were to receivers not named Odell Beckham Jr. The receivers who are not OBJ caught 23 of Manning’s touchdowns.
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The Giants’ 2015 offensive success was surprising. They were without the services of Victor Cruz. Sterling Shepard was still at the University of Oklahoma. The running game was slightly below average and the offensive line was serviceable at best.
In 2016, the Giants’ offense was supposed to continue its efficiency. Cruz was returning to the field and they drafted Shepard. The offense was top-10 in ’15. There were supposed to be better with these playmakers on the field. Unfortunately, this was not meant to be as the Giants took a significant step back offensively in 2016.
The offense finished 26th in total points (310) and points per game (19.4), 17th in total yards (3,879) and yards per game (242.4). They didn’t score 30 points in a game all season. The 28 points Week 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles was the season high. The largest margin of victory (14) came Week 12 against the then-winless Cleveland Browns.
Winning hides a team’s flaws like nothing else. The Giants won nine of their final 11 games after starting the season 2-3. They were propelled by a defense that evolved into one of the NFL’s best. The defense carried the Giants into their first postseason since winning Super Bowl XLVI. The offense were underachievers. The lack of anything closely resembling offensive continuity would come back to bite the Giants. That was lost in the euphoria that comes with making the playoffs and posting double-digit wins.
The Giants were exposed by the Green Bay Packers in the final game of Wild Card Weekend. All of the offensive woes that plagued the Giants all season were on full display Sunday at Lambeau Field. The offense failed to capitalize on opportunities time and time again. The defense could only hold Aaron Rodgers off for so long. It was over when Randall Cobb caught that Hail Mary at the end of the first half.
The Giants offense should’ve been better than this. No one is going to equate this unit with the ’98 Vikings or ’07 Patriots, however, they should’ve been better than this. They were supposed to put points on the board when it mattered most. They couldn’t run the ball effectively. The line failed to provide enough protection for Manning. Manning made some ridiculously boneheaded plays. The receivers took off to Miami on their off day and didn’t show up in Green Bay for work.
The Giants are home because they were underachievers on the offensive side of the ball. The memory of getting manhandled at Lambeau is something that should haunt them all offseason long. If history is a guide, then getting smashed by the Packers is going to light a fire under the team.
In the ’85 Playoffs, the 11-6 Giants went on the road to Soldier Field to face the 15-1 Chicago Bears in the Divisional Playoffs. The Giants were absolutely destroyed by the late Buddy Ryan’s 46 defense, 21-0.
In 1986, they bounced back with a 14-2 record lead by NFL MVP Lawrence Taylor. They defeated the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins in the NFC Playoffs before beating the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI.
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