5 takeaways from New York Giants’ Week 4 loss
By Henry Buggy
No. 2 – Shurmur’s questionable play-calling
The Giants brought in Pat Shurmur this offseason in the hopes that he could establish a well-rounded offense. A quarter way through the season, and the G-Men continue to put a similar product on the field.
The offense is surrounded by playmakers, but with no offensive line and an inconsistent quarterback, Big Blue remains unable to put points on the board. They rank 29th in points and 25th in yards following Sunday’s loss.
Both Manning and the offensive line deserve blame for the offense’s poor play this season, but Shurmur has yet to deliver as the team’s new head coach.
The Minnesota Vikings were able to reach the NFC Championship last season behind a dominant defense and the league’s 11th ranked offense. They had questions along the offensive line and a quarterback, Case Keenum, who had yet to prove himself a reliable starter.
Yet the Vikings still finished seventh in rushing, and Keenum was able to put up impressive numbers due to the threat of Minnesota’s ground game.
This was the offense Giants fans were waiting for. Of course, it’s expected to take time for a new head coach to implement his system, but at the same time, New York’s offense feels eerily similar to that of his predecessor.
The Giants are relying on too many short passes and did not take enough shots downfield. The lack of pass protection and inability to move the ball on the ground limits the team’s chances to uses play-action passes. However, the Giants played it too conservatively on offense, playing not to lose.
Shurmur also made a costly mistake at the end of the first half in clock management. Potentially taking points off the board for the Giants, something that could have led to a momentum shift. Shurmur’s answer about not taking a timeout at that point of the game left fans scratching their heads.
"“Yeah, in hindsight, I felt like they were working their way down. In hindsight, maybe I could’ve done it, but we didn’t.”"
At this point, if the Giants continue to put the same product on the field, they will continue to get the same result. If they are not able to take shots downfield or establish a rushing attack, it will undoubtedly be another long season.