Sunday Night Football is no stranger to the New York Giants–Dallas Cowboys rivalry. Playing against an offense led by MVP candidates Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, the Giants hope to stop the explosive rookie duo for again and hand Dallas its second loss of the season. Plagued with injuries, it’ll take proper execution from the Giants’ side of the ball to come out with a win. What will it take for the G-Men to advance to 9-4 and sweep their long-time division rivals? Let’s take a closer look at the Giants week 14 keys to victory.
New York Giants Week 14 Keys to Victory
Give Olivier Vernon Help on the Defensive Line
The Giants have been off to a major defensive success in the second half of the season, even aside from the emergence of Defensive Player of the year candidate Landon Collins. In the last five weeks alone, the team has led the league in sacks with Olivier Vernon (7) and Jason Pierre-Paul (5) leading in that time frame respectively. These are incredible numbers, but some argue it is because they are on the field for an extraordinary amount of time. In fact, Vernon and JPP also lead the league in most defensive lineman snaps by more than 50 plays!
Of course, this amount of playing time comes with consequences. The Giants found this out after being hit with some extremely devastating news Wednesday morning. After meeting with a world-class surgeon it was reported that Pierre-Paul would need season-ending surgery for the groin injury he suffered in last week’s 24-14 loss to the Steelers. Not only is JPP out, but other key injuries on the defensive line include Johnathan Hankins and Owamagbe Odighizuwa. Steve Spagnuolo is going to have to be a little less stingy when it comes to rotating players this week. Preserving the health of this elite front and taking some of the workload off Vernon should be a priority. Especially this week, because Vernon is sure to be double-teamed frequently against arguably the league’s best offensive line. Without defensive pressure, Elliott is bound to have a field day on the ground and Dak will have plenty of time to throw to his receivers.
Keep All Wide Receivers Involved
Eli Manning has been playing some of the worst football we’ve seen in a while. After coming off one of his best seasons and adding another elite rookie weapon to his receiving corps via the draft, it looks as if the problem is also occurring on the coaching side of the ball when it comes to play selection. In week 12, even though he had one carry for 22 yards, Sterling Shepard wasn’t targeted once the whole game on the receiving end. Following this up in week 13, Victor Cruz also didn’t come away with a single target despite playing the whole game. More targets were aimed at the running backs in recent weeks with intentions of executing a larger number of screen plays. Although it works some of the time, it has become easily predictable for defensive units to read. This aspect takes away opportunities to spread the ball around the field and get the ball into others’ hands.
This Cowboys secondary has allowed the fourth most passing yards per game (276) and only has two interceptions. Eli and McAdoo need to use this advantage by utilizing the receivers and keeping the offense on the field. This has been an on-going problem the team has endured all season. As fitting, the Giants are second in the league for least amount of time of possession. Any improvement could be a game changer for the Giants, who have been terrible in terms of first down efficiency. Throughout last week’s matchup they converted 4-11 on third down and are also 0-3 on fourth down.
Offensive Line Needs More Discipline
Ereck Flowers has become a disaster on the offensive side of the ball. Heading into week 14, Flowers is tied for fourth in the league for most penalties by a single player. Eight of the 12 penalties called have been for holding. At 6-6 and 330 pounds, it’s hard to imagine that one would have to hold as frequently as he does. Although he makes quite a few technical mistakes when it comes to his play, he shows signs of potential. The former first rounder out of Boston College needs to step up and prove he’s worthy to be considered top-tier.
With starting guard Justin Pugh limited so far this week in practices, he looks to return to the lineup which could benefit the team tremendously. It’s only a matter of staying healthy and not rushing back into the game too soon. With the luck the Giants have had in the past with injuries, the coaching staff needs to be smart. Re-aggravating the MCL sprain in his right knee would be the last situation the team needs. While he sits out with injuries, Giants have had to suffer with their very shallow depth at the O-linemen position
If Flowers brings his game and Pugh returns to the lineup, Eli and the offensive unit will have some opportunities to make things click and put some numbers on the board. Rashad Jennings has been playing his best game of the season so far and Paul Perkins has emerged as a real threat to escape tackles and cut defenders on his way to pick up some first downs. If the team can start to turn things around and get some blocks early on, expect to see this offense moving the ball down field without relying on the help from somebody with the name Odell Beckham Jr.
