The New York Giants got beat badly last night to the Philadelphia Eagles. Now there are two pressing questions: Did the Eagles expose the Giants weaknesses? Will these weaknesses be fatal flaws for the Giants?
The Giants offensive line had been doing well this season. Before this 27-7 beatdown, Manning had only been sacked four times. The Eagles put constant and immediate pressure on Manning and sacked him 3 times. It is fair to ask was the offensive line just smoke and mirrors?
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That would explain why the Giants rushing game has been inconsistent and inadequate. The Giants average 3.6 yards per carry which isn’t very good. The quick release passing game has also helped the offensive line.
Marshall Newhouse was atrocious, though we already knew he was the weak link of the offensive line. Newhouse was possibly the worst performing Giant but pressure came from everywhere, meaning its tough to pin the blame solely on him.
The Giants defense was on the field an awful lot and truthfully did a somewhat admirable job. They forced four turnovers and gave the offense plenty of chances. Though it was clear that the defense needs pass rush.
The Giants got decent pressure on Sam Bradford. The problem is that he still had his way with the defense. The interceptions were more offensive screw ups by the Eagles. On one for example, Riley Cooper just stopped running his route. The Giants pass defense still leaves much to be desired.
The Giants only have 8 sacks this season. On Monday night, a few times the Giants got to Bradford were nullified by penalties. The Giants had two roughing the passer penalties. The foul by Damontre Moore was the most egregious, he picked Bradford up and threw him down after the fact. The Giants got a sack on the Eagles one yard line, taken away because of 12 men on the field.
But the biggest problem is that the Giants offense seems to have a light switch. When the switch is on, they look unstoppable. Just look how beautiful the opening drive was. Then out of nowhere it seems like a different group of players and the Giants offense sputters.
The Eagles absolutely exploited the weaknesses of the Giants. These weaknesses won’t just go away. Tom Coughlin has some answers to find about the makeup of his team, that’s for sure.
The Giants had won three straight games for a reason. They have hopes of being contenders for a reason, there is a lot of good on this team. However if the Giants don’t address their flaws they will fail.