Offense looks for faster start against Bucs
EAST RUTHERFORD » A lightning tempo helped jump-start the Giants’ offense last week in Phiadelphia. Faster points on the scoreboard this week in Tampa Bay may be necessary if New York is finally going to secure that elusive first win.
Only three 0-3 teams under the current NFL playoff format have gone on to make the playoffs. And while the Giants still can’t look that far ahead, a favorable road matchup with the Buccaneers (1-1) is a crucial opportunity to begin turning things around.
“We have our noise blockers on,” second-year head coach Ben McAdoo said. “We need to focus on ourselves, our football. We need to quit learning the same lessons over and over again, and it’s about the details right now.”
After 11 quarters, the Giants finally took their first lead of the season last Sunday in the fourth with 21 unanswered points against the Eagles, only to see that dissipate within minutes and a 61-yard field goal as time expired put their season on life support.
Despite seven fourth-quarter penalties, the Giants found reason for optimism moving forward. They countered an elite pass rush with an uptempo passing game which advanced New York into Philadelphia territory nine times and the red zone five times. Per Pro Football Focus, Eli Manning threw the ball on average in 1.86 seconds per pass attempt — nearly 0.4 seconds faster than any other quarterback in Week 3. Wide receiver Brandon Marshall, limited to two total catches in the first two games, was a primary beneficiary with eight receptions for 66 yards.
“Obviously there’s no moral victories, but we were able to do some things that we weren’t able to do in the first two weeks, so that’s promising,” Marshall said. “If we build off of that, I think we’ll be fine.”
Odell Beckham Jr. is finally past his preseason ankle injury, practicing fully this week fresh off a two-touchdown game against the Eagles. But with the difficulty of drawing defense into oneon-one matchups with the superstar regularly, McAdoo cautions the Giants still need to find more traction in the running game.
But Tampa Bay’s run defense currently ranks fourth in the league, and the Giants seem to have abandoned their power personnel. Tight end Rhett Ellison has played only 29 percent of the offensive snaps. Fullback Shane Smith was waived Thursday.
The Giants are dead last in the NFL in both rushing attempts per game (15.7) and yards per game (48.7). The Buccaneers have four fewer rushing attempts on the season despite only playing two games so far.
“Our offense is at its best when we are running the ball well, that’s number one, so it takes the pressure off the quarterback,” McAdoo said. “You run the ball well, it opens up things in the action pass game and the quarterback has a chance to complete the ball. It’s tough to get Odell the ball. Teams most of the time cloud him or play a version of two-man to him or double him in some sort of way.”
Still, the Buccaneers yielded 34 points to Case Keenum and the Vikings last week and have lingering injury issues.
Starting middle linebacker Kwon Alexander has been ruled out with injury and starting weakside linebacker Lavonte David is doubtful. Five other defensive players are on Tampa Bay’s injury report, including Gerald McCoy and former Giant Robert Ayers on the defensive line, who are both questionable.
McCoy and Ayers, though, practiced fully Friday and will likely suit up. Giants right guard John Jerry says New York is keying in on McCoy, a “premier” five-time Pro Bowler at the 3-technique defensive tackle.
“We’ve definitely got to know where he’s at throughout this ballgame, but also you’ve got Robert Ayers, a guy we’re familiar with,” Jerry said. “They’ve got a good third-down package. They’ve got some guys that can definitely get after the passer.”