A Giant letdown
Last season, the New York Giants shocked the National Football League (NFL) world by going 9-7 and winning their first playoff game since their Super Bowl-winning season in 2011. During the offseason, the Giants only increased their talent through the draft and free agency. This led many fans and media outlets to predict the Giants improving and making a return to the playoffs in the 2023 season. This year, however, has been a fan’s worst nightmare with “Big Blue” only recording one victory through the first six weeks.
The glaring problem with this Giants team is the play of their offensive line: to call it a disaster would almost be too generous. The offensive line has surrendered a total of 33 sacks to start the season, which is the second-highest total in the entire league.
Granted, injuries have had a significant impact on the unit with star left tackle Andrew Thomas having been out since injuring his hamstring in week one. Rookie center John Michael Schmitz has also missed the last two games with an injured shoulder. Instead of signing replacements, though, the Giants chose to fill the holes by moving their other lineman around. First, they replaced Thomas with second-year lineman Joshua Ezeudu. Then, after Schmitz got hurt, the team moved guard Ben Bredeson to the center position.
These moves have backfired with both players struggling to adjust to playing completely different positions than the ones they are used to. Right tackle Evan Neal has also struggled immensely with an abysmal Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of 39.0. In addition to his play on the field, Evan Neal has taken a lot of criticism from the New York media after referring to himself as a “lion” and Giants fans as “sheep.” Neal clearly hasn’t lived up to expectations after being taken seventh overall in the 2022 draft.
The Giants quarterback play has also been extremely underwhelming, as starter Daniel Jones has mostly struggled after signing a $160 million contract this past offseason. Jones has only two passing touchdowns and six interceptions so far this season. His Quarterback Rating (QBR) is 39.9 which ranks 26th amongst starting quarterbacks in the NFL.
While Jones has struggled, the blame can’t entirely be put upon the Giants fifth-year quarterback. The aforementioned offensive line has only given Jones mere seconds to deliver the ball before getting crushed by pass rushers. Jones has also been without star running back Saquon Barkley for most of the season. These factors have led to Jones’ early struggles this season.
After getting sacked sixteen times in two games, Jones exited the team’s game against the Dolphins on Sunday, Oct. 8, with a neck injury in the fourth quarter. Jones has dealt with neck issues in the past and had to miss the last six games of the 2021 season.
With Jones not being able to play against the Buffalo Bills on Monday, Oct. 15, the Giants turned to veteran backup Tyrod Taylor to line up against his former team. Taylor played admirably but made several key blunders throughout the game, leading to a 14-9 loss. New York now sits at 1-5 through six games and will look to fix their plethora of on-field issues in the coming weeks. Their next matchup will come against the middling Washington Commanders on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 1 p.m.