The eagerness to see how head coach John Harbaugh will manage his quarterback situation Sunday against the Houston Texans may have overshadowed a few other issues the team still needs to figure out this week.
The New York Giants have yet to establish a consistent ground attack. The offensive line has not blocked as well as expected, and the stable of running backs that opened the season hasn't performed to its potential. Suffice it to say that both of those units must share the blame - and at least one of these units needs to step up its production in a hurry.
"I thought we'd be running the ball better at this point in terms of outcome and result, and we haven't been able to do it," Harbaugh said this week.
"We're not blocking well enough. We're not running well enough. We're not putting up enough yards. We're not putting up enough consistency. We're not efficient in our run game."
The Giants rank 19th in the NFL with 104.8 rushing yards per game and 22nd with 3.8 yards per attempt. On the flip side, the Texans' defense stands third in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (83.0) and in rushing yards per attempt (3.4).
The Giants face the same issue on defense, ranking 29th in stopping the run (135.5) and 31st in rushing yards per carry (5.0). It almost doesn't matter how weak an opponents' ground game is when you haven't shown the ability to slow things down. So, Houston is apt to try running the ball with Woody Marks despite the league's 25th-rated run game (84.8) that has gained just 3.6 yards per try (29th)
"I think it is just a discipline of play in and play out," said nose tackle D.J. Reader. "The teams are going to keep trying to attack you in different runs. ... And you’ve just got to revert to knowing your basics and be confident in the rest of your brothers to make sure they're going to be where they're at, so you need to be where you're at."
The slide on special teams over the past two weeks has been the most surprising development, considering this unit was among the NFL's elite after the first four games of the season. Penalties, porous kick/punt coverage, mistakes in the kicking/punting game - and the "turning point" kickoff return turnover against New Orleans - have contributed to the Giants' bumpy road to 3-2-1.
Big Blue Breakdown Live host Paul Dottino will discuss these issues and how they might impact the matchup in Houston on tonight’s podcast at 8 p.m. ET. Fans can also participate via chat or by placing a call during the broadcast by clicking on this link.
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