PLAN OF A-STACK
Denver upset alone not sign Giants are on verge of win streak
THE WORD of the wee k around the Giants is going to be “stack.’’ As in, “We got our f irst win, now it’s time to stack ’em.’’
The Giants’ ability to stack victories might be akin to telling someone who just won the lottery, “Yeah, nice job, let’s see you do it again.’’ The Giants want to believe they departed Denver with a formula that works for them, but that might be more about the high altitude than a change in attitude. To escape from the wreckage of their 0-5 start, there has to be plenty of stacking, starting with Sunday’s game against the Seahawks at MetLife Stadium.
Can it happen? Well, it did in 2013, when the horrid 0-6 start ended all hope, until a strange resuscitation. Sure, it can be remembered as a bogus surge, but Tom Coughlin’s team earned a trip back to relevancy with a four-game winning streak. In Week 12, they were 4-6 when they faced the Cowboys (5-5) in a game that legitimately contained playoff implications in the mediocre NFC East. Those implications were dashed after Dan Bailey’s field goal at the buzzer made the Giants 24-21 losers.
As inspirational tales go, this is probably not one for the ages, but the Giants are in no position to turn their backs on any trace of hope, manufactured or otherwise. Four years ago, the 0-6 Giants got to fatten up with a defense that had a knack for knocking quarterbacks out of games. Their four-game winning streak came against Josh Freeman, Matt Barkley (after Michael Vick got hurt), Terrelle Pryor (now a Redskins wide receiver), Matt Flynn, Scott Tolzien and Seneca Wallace ( a f ter Aaron Rodgers got hurt).
Up next, Russell Wilson does not fit into that fraternity, despite a slow start — Wilson’s 62.4 completion percentage and 90.6 passer rating are career lows. After the bye week, there is on-the-rise Jared Goff, Alex Smith and Kirk Cousins on deck, with only the moribund 49ers’ Brian Hoyer or C.J. Beathard sticking out as patsies.
It is conceivable to predict a defensive surge by the Giants, based on their shutdown play in Denver and that Olivier Vernon, Jonathan Casillas and reinstated Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie all are expected back now, or soon. Far less encouraging is the state of the Odell Beckham Jr.less offense, even with the uptick in the rushing attack (152 and 148 yards the past two games).
It is going to take some sort of offensive wizardry to duplicate what went down in the 23-10 victory over the Broncos. Can the Giants win another game with Eli Manning throwing just 19 passes, connecting on just 11? It has been 26 years since the Giants in a game completed just two passes to wide receivers — Odessa Turner and Mark Ingram with one catch apiece versus the Browns in 1991 — before that happened this past weekend.
Facts are facts: The Giants pro- duced 16 points on offense, ran just 54 offensive plays and were 4-of-12 on third down. It was an isolated winning formula but not a sustainable formula — unless you want to believe the defense can earn the top-five ranking it yakked about and heretofore has not come close to achieving.
“We knew the game plan offensively was going to be a run first, run second, have third-and-6 and try to convert,’’ Manning said Monday on his WFAN radio spot, describing a very anti-Eli Manning approach. “Let’s be safe with the ball, let’s get it out quick. Play field position, try to run the ball, run the clock, keep the game short and score enough points to win. We knew the style of the game we were going to have to play, and we were prepared for it. It kind of fits our style at the moment.’’
One positive moment is all the Giants have mustered this season. It is a long, long road back to relevancy.