Nobody said establishing a new identity overnight would be easy.
Head coach John Harbaugh wanted to transform the New York Giants into a team that would dominate the trenches on both sides of the ball, with an eye on returning the team to playoff contention in his first year on the job. So far, the road has included a few detours, but it’s still being paved in the right direction.
The Giants sit atop the NFC East at 3-1-1 and hold a two-game lead in the loss column over the rest of the division heading into Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints at MetLife Stadium. So, yes, they’ve gotten through nearly the first third of the season in good shape. However, they’re unlikely to maintain that course if they don’t win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
On offense, the running game has gained some traction in alternating games, putting up at least 100 yards in Weeks 1 (win), 3 (win) and 5 (tie). But they ran for just 52 and 87 yards in Weeks 2 (loss) and 4 (win).
“We definitely need more explosives in the run game. That’s definitely something that we’ll be chasing and looking for,” Harbaugh said this week.
“Every play has got its own story that is told. We look back at it and study it. I think everybody in the offense will tell you this play, that play, whatever. There’s always something we can do better. A lot of times it’s the difference in the play. It’s really our execution mostly, usually. Sometimes you’re overwhelmed with numbers or something like that. But there’s definitely been plays where we can get more yards on.”
The Giants lost control of the narrative in last week’s 27-27 tie at Washington, falling behind by 14 points midway through the fourth quarter.
Forced to go to the air, quarterback Jameis Winston went 33-of-54 for 326 yards and three TDs. It was four pass attempts short of his career high. It was the 29th time he’s thrown at least 40 passes in a game, the sixth of those without an interception and his most attempts without being picked off.
The defense is a bigger cause for concern. Opponents have run for 69, 163, 81, 123 and 202 yards through the first five weeks.
“Yeah, I think we’ve had too many chunk plays, overall. We’ve played kind of feast-or-famine run defense,” Harbaugh said.
How well will the Giants’ front fare against New Orleans, given that the Saints, who are weak in the trenches, can be expected to try to turn the day into a passing affair?
Big Blue Breakdown Live host Paul Dottino will discuss the matchup on tonight’s podcast at 8 p.m. ET. Fans can also participate by placing video or audio calls during the broadcast.
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