The long and short of Jason Garrett’s NY Giants offense

Longer Drives Help the Offense

Week to week, Garrett does a nice job at mixing the types of drive his offense runs. The only lopsided use of shorter drives vs. longer drives came in Week 3, when the Giants were blown out by the San Francisco 49ers 36-9.

The average time per drive between the two teams that game was 3:13. Excluding the Giants kneeling down before halftime, the team had seven drives shorter than that average compared to just one longer drive. They scored on only two of those seven drives, and scored on their lone long one.

The only other game where one clearly outweighed the other was in Week 1, when six of the Giants drives were shorter compared to three longer. They scored on two of the six short drives and one of the three long drives.

Garrett appeared to learn this lesson early on.

When we look at the Giants three wins, we see a healthier mix of shorter and longer drives. In the Week 6 win against Washington, three short drives resulted in one score while three long drives resulted in two scores. In the Giants’ second win against Washington, the Giants had six longer drives that resulted in three scores and four shorter drives that resulted in two.

In Week 10 against Philadelphia, the Giants sustained six short drives for two scores and four long drives for three scores. The only time the Giants outscored on shorter drives came in Week 7’s loss against the Eagles. The Giants scored twice on six short drives while scoring just once on five long drives.

Game to game might vary what style Garrett chooses to pursue, but the totals of this season paint a clearer picture: the Giants score more on drives in which they use more clock.

Overall, 50 drives counted for this post were considered short while 40 were considered long. The Giants scored or attempted to score in 17 of the 50 short drives, or 34 percent. The team scored or attempted to score in 22 of the 40 long drives, or 55 percent.

In games they win, Garrett is Even Steven: 13 short drives with five scores and 13 long drives with eight scores. In games they lose, the Giants have 37 short drives for 12 scores (32 percent) and 27 long drives with 14 (52 percent).

Not only do these longer drives help the offense score more points, but they also give the Giants defense a longer rest, which in turn helps them to perform.