Will Giants’ running backs injuries eliminate their playoff dreams?

Sep 25, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo looks on against the Washington Redskins during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo looks on against the Washington Redskins during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Will the injuries to New York Giants running back Rashad Jennings earlier in Week 2 and to Shane Vereen last Sunday eliminate the Giants’ dreams of reaching the playoffs?

The New York Giants may have lost their only hope at reaching the playoffs. Vereen and Jennings provide the Giants’ only chance at scoring relying on the running game.

Giants rookie replacements unlikely to lead to victories

Replacements and rookies will not be able to carry the baton.

Per Chris Pflum, Paul Perkins and Bobby Rainey have not had a chance to prove themselves.

You can be a part of the starting roster. But you can’t be expected to perform at the level of a Vereen or Jennings, who are out with injuries.

The Giants coaching adjustments will have to happen. You certainly don’t want to over rely on the Giants’ host of strong wide receivers. Doing so will make the offense too dependent on long pass receptions. Sometimes a short gain will do.

If the Giants are able to win against the Minnesota Vikings next week because of Perkins and Rainey, big deal. It won’t prove that the Giants have a reliable league-leading pair of running backs.

You have to look at the Giants’ replacements critically. Don’t let a surprise performance by either replacement to convince you that the team is playoff ready. That would be foolish.

The Giants have proven to have a problematic defense. Giants trainers must need Tylenol after losing two reliable starting players in Week 3.

McAdoo knows that discipline is missing. He even stated that the Washington team showed more of it.

"“We’re the more disciplined team. We’ve got to be better than that.”"

McAdoo referred directly to Weston Richburg’s ejection.

The New York media shined the spotlight on how Josh Norman and Odell Beckham Jr. would play. This caused McAdoo to vow to ensure that the officials did not over-officiate and show bias against the Giants.

"“We knew the officials wanted to come out and take control of the game. And make sure it didn’t get away from them early…It’s disappointing, absolutely. We need to be better than that, and we are better than that. We’re going to address it this week, and we’re going to fix it.”"

Going against the odds. It’s something the Giants have done twice before becoming champions. To undo the past mistakes of the recent memory, McAdoo’s message must be felt by all players on the field.