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Do the Giants Have Enough Offensive Firepower To Go Deep in the Playoffs?

Giants DC Steve Spagnuolo during training camp (Photo: New York Daily News).

Giants DC Steve Spagnuolo during training camp (Photo: New York Daily News).

After a horrible and forgettable 2015 season for the New York Giants, the pressure was on former Pro-Bowl QB Eli Manning and Head Coach Ben McAdoo to quickly correct the sins of the past. Through the first 9 games of the 2016 season, things appear to have greatly improved as the Giants currently sit with a record of 6-3 and a good chance of making the playoffs, barring a complete meltdown.

Regardless of the team’s record, something seems amiss. The Giants are currently averaging only 20.2 PPG, 9th worst in the league. They have also seen its offensive output drop from 372.3 YPG in 2015 to 341.1 YPG on the current season. That’s a significant drop over a short period of time.

At issue would seem to be the running game since Manning’s stats so far this season seem on par with previous years, though his turnover rate is certainly cause for concern. So far this season, New York has not had a single running back who has been able to play is all 9 games. The leading rusher is Rashad Jennings with a paltry 255 yards on 79 carries and 1 TD. In fact, the Giants have only had 4 rushing TDs all season long. That lands the Giant’s rushing attack as the 2nd worst in the NFL at 74 YPG, just ahead of the anemic Minnesota Vikings at 69 YPG.

It’s easy to blame injuries for problem, but the truth is the Giants have lacked any real explosiveness at the running back position for several seasons now. With inconsistency in the passing game and Manning not getting any younger, one has to question whether or not the Giants have enough offensive firepower to make a run into the playoffs. In fact, the schedule doesn’t stack up particularly well even with the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns coming up in the next two games. The team still has tough road games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles and a home date against the league-leading Dallas Cowboys that they need to navigate just to make the playoffs.

The reality is the Giants have lived and died this season with a bend but don’t break defense that has only allowed 20.4 PPG on the season. They don’t sack opposing quarterbacks and haven’t had much success creating turnovers. They just tend to stiffen up when opposing teams get close to the red zone.

The website bettingoffers.org lists a bunch of online sports books with decent free bets offers for new customers. Even with free bets, the question is “who would be willing to bet on an NFL team with no running game, an aging quarterback and a bend but don’t break defense to make it past the first round of the playoffs?” The answer probably would be somewhere between slim and none. These aren’t the kinds of problems that can be easily resolved heading into week 11 of the regular season. If the firepower isn’t there, better teams will eventually exploit that fact.

 

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