{"id":49053,"date":"2018-09-09T20:56:16","date_gmt":"2018-09-10T00:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=49053"},"modified":"2021-03-09T21:51:49","modified_gmt":"2021-03-10T02:51:49","slug":"eli-manning-managed-jaguars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/09\/09\/eli-manning-managed-jaguars\/","title":{"rendered":"Eli Manning Managed Against Jacksonville Jaguars Defense"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Giants<\/a> debuted their revamped squad on a soggy Sunday afternoon in East Rutherford, NJ. And revamped it was. Resurrected into winning form? Maybe not quite yet. In an almost-there performance against the Blake Bortles<\/strong><\/a>-led Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a>, the G-Men had serious protection issues. Despite a highly penalized Jags team, a full roster of receivers and runners and no injuries to speak of, Big Blue once again met defeat. Still, this defeat was of a very different kind than that which was suffered last season. Our old faithful\u00a0Eli Manning<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0managed the game and gave us a reason to look forward to greater days ahead.<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s New York Giants Were Eli Manning Against the Jacksonville Jaguars Vaunted Defense<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Offensive Offense<\/h2>\n

The Giants\u2019 reimagined offensive line needs some time and allowed far too much pressure on Manning. Ereck Flowers<\/strong><\/a> was the primary culprit, allowing a disastrous opening drive backup to the one-yard line on the wrong side of the field. Flowers alone cannot be blamed. Nate Solder<\/strong><\/a> seemed to have some struggles, and rookie Will Hernandez<\/strong><\/a> wasn\u2019t much of a match for Jags defensive end Calais Campbell<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Giants did manage to end the game with only a five-point deficit to arguably the league’s best defense. That fact alone is slightly settling. Flowers, the weak link of the bunch, also showed improvement when assisted by tackle Chad Wheeler<\/strong><\/a>, who was put in for a number of plays.<\/p>\n

Certainly, there\u2019s work to be done here in protecting Manning\u2019s ability to pass and general physicality. Nevertheless, it\u2019s difficult to get a good read on this line against a defense as superior as Jacksonville\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Too Much Too Late<\/h2>\n

MetLife Stadium saw Manning complete 23\/37 passes for 224 yards on Sunday. Sterling Shepard<\/strong><\/a> had the strongest first half, assisted by Odell Beckham Jr.<\/strong><\/a> Beckham, who made his return to the NFL after sustaining a fractured left ankle against the Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> last October, racked up 111 receiving yards. Rookie Saquon Barkley\u2019s<\/strong><\/a> 106 yards over 18 carries were largely supplemented by his 68-yard run for his first career touchdown. The score, the only six-pointer for the Giants, lit the match for the remainder of the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

A lot of weight was placed on Beckham and Barkley for the first three quarters of the game. New head coach Pat Shurmur<\/strong> has praised Barkley as both a running back and a receiver, historically alluding to the idea that he might not have been their big first-round draft pick had he not demonstrated his ability to do both jobs. From Beckham\u2019s return, we can take his special awareness to every happening on the field during a play. Even when he was the intended receiver, Beckham held out on rushing for the ball on certain plays in anticipation of a flag on another player yards away from him.<\/p>\n

Manning\u2019s communication with his corps, as well as his arm, were near flawless the whole game. His only faults \u2013 a few overthrown balls and a single interception \u2013 were a result of his trying to accomplish too much too late in the game. If Manning can remember in the future, against less exquisite defenses, that he has the help from Beckham and Barkley that he lacked last year, we can anticipate a high-octane offense in future matchups.<\/p>\n

Last Word on Sunday\u2019s Giants<\/h2>\n

In spite of a ferocious secondary appearance from Jacksonville in the season opener, the Giants managed to push down the field for several beautiful drives that were almost<\/em> meaningful to the score. Defensively, Janoris Jenkins<\/strong><\/a> pulled out one of his jackrabbit-like interceptions early in the game, and the whole crew contributed to pushing hard against one of the largest offensive lines in the NFL. They forced punts on Jacksonville\u2019s last seven possessions, and never lost sight of the win on the line. The unfortunate final play of the game, a muffed punt recovered by Jacksonville, ultimately\u00a0was what cost them the long and Manning-strong battle. For that, it\u2019s hard to consider the contest a loss.<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>