As the New York Football Giants rolled to five straight victories, the assumption was that they were as formidable as ever. An offseason of tweaks, after losing Plaxico Burress (prison), had souped the Giants passing game and put them back on track for their second Super Bowl in three years.
But Sunday at New Orleans, the Giants were exposed. In losing to the Saints, 48-27, the New York defense gave up more points in a game than it had in 10 years. The last team to score that many on the Giants were the 1999 Redskins of Steven Davis, Brad Johnson and Michael Westbrook.
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In Eli Manning‘s hometown, Saints quarterback Drew Brees completed 23 of 30 passes for 369 yards and four touchdowns. At halftime, the Saints led 34-14.
For those paying attention, the Giants’ loss was not that surprising. Their victories had come over the Redskins, Cowboys, Bucs, Chiefs and Raiders. And even in winning, their vaunted line play had shown significant cracks.
Their defense is giving up 4.8 yards per carry, up from 4.0 in 2008. Their offense is averaging 4.2 yards per rush, down from 5.0 last year. That’s not a recipe for success.
There’s no easy explanation for the Giants’ line failures. They’re not injured. They’re not old. Pro Bowl offensive linemen Chris Snee, 27, and Shaun O’Hara, 32, and defensive standouts Justin Tuck, 26, and Osi Umenyiora, 27, should be in their prime.
But something is not right with coach Tom Coughlin‘s team.
The holes that used to be there for any runner the Gaints employed have disappeared. Changeup back Ahmad Bradshaw is thriving, but New York’s between-the-tackles constant, Brandon Jacobs, who averaged 5.0 yards per rush each of the last two seasons, is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry.
Instead of the offense controlling the ball, the Giants defense is on the field and stressed.
“Every aspect of our game we need to evaluate,” said Coughlin. “Obviously we could not stop them … there’s no excuses we played poorly, we have to regroup.”
The Giants will have to do that on a national TV stage, Sunday night against visiting Arizona.
