After a 30-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the New York Giants now stand at 1-2 on the young season. Their rough start is puzzling. After all, Big Blue made the playoffs last year. They made improvements this offseason, through the draft and free agency. This is the coaching staff’s second year together, and you would think success would continue from the previous season. So, why do the New York Giants have major issues here in 2023?
The Offensive Line (Wait, Didn’t It Get Better?)
You would think, right? A unit that allowed the fourth-most sacks last year was improved with the pick of John Michael Schmitz this past draft. The 24-year-old was arguably the best center prospect in the draft, and many praised New York for being able to draft him in the second round. This was despite the fact that he could have gone in the first round (New York took cornerback Deonte Banks in the first).
Left tackle Andrew Thomas turned his career around last year and was phenomenal. After nine penalties in his first two years in the league, he had only one during the entire 2022 season. A PFF blocking grade of 89.1 ranked him among the best in the league.
Evan Neal had a rough rookie season, but improvement this offseason was imminent and expectations for the young right tackle were high.
However, things have been sour so far for this unit. They’ve allowed (once again) the fourth-most sacks in the NFL this year. Quarterback Daniel Jones has been pressured on 46.7% of his dropbacks, which is the highest in the league. In terms of the amount of pressures under two seconds, they’ve also allowed 27 of those too.
Every single lineman that have appeared/started for New York have been terrible, according to Pro Football Focus
- Andrew Thomas: 62.1 (35th, ignoring snap minimum)
- Ben Bredeson: 61.2 (33rd out of 76 guards)
- John Michael Schmitz: 44.8 (33rd out of 35)
- Mark Glowinski: 49.7 (62nd out of 76 guards)
- Evan Neal: 40.9 (66th out of 67)
- Joshua Ezeudu: 49.4 (58th out of 67)
- Marcus McKethan: 47.2 (66th out of 76 guards)
Yeah, no wonder Daniel Jones has struggled. But, he isn’t innocent either. We’ll get to him in a second. In all, this offensive line needs to improve if the Giants want to get back to the postseason. Whether it’s bringing guys in for competition (Justin Pugh or La’El Collins) or firing offensive line coach Bobby Johnson, something needs to change.
$40 Million A Year For This?
Daniel Jones was signed to a four-year, $160 million extension this offseason. He has not played like it.
Let’s start with this. He has a 67.4 PFF grade, which ranks 21st out of the 34 quarterbacks that have been graded. Shockingly, he’s better than Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, and Sam Howell (who are the other quarterbacks in the division). But, guys like Joshua Dobbs, C.J. Stroud, Ryan Tannehill, and others rank ahead of him. This is disappointing, considering the names I mentioned aren’t getting paid as much as Jones is right now.
You can blame the offensive line all you want. But, these guys are professionals for a reason. No matter who you’re working with, you have to figure out ways to make plays. Jones has failed to do that on multiple occasions in his Giants career, especially this season. We all remember the lackluster 40-0 loss to Dallas in week one. Jones had just 104 passing yards and two interceptions.
Then, we had the Arizona game. He was terrible in the first half, which included throwing another interception. Sure, he had a historic second half to beat the Cardinals. But, it’s the Cardinals. Let’s be honest, their defense isn’t even close to the Cowboys. Jones should have led this offense for scores early in the game instead of heading into halftime with a goose egg.
Finally, there was the Thursday night game against the 49ers. He was 22/32 for just 137 yards and an interception. Lackluster and disappointment from the Giants quarterback.
New York was expected to compete with the top tier of the NFC. Instead, there’s no way you can say the Giants can keep up with the Eagles, Cowboys, and 49ers of the conference with performances like this from their quarterback.
Even when things aren’t the best around you in terms of your supporting cast, you figure out how to make things happen. Three or four-yard completions aren’t going to lead to wins. We especially saw this against San Francisco, where the defense would keep allowing Jones to find his guys underneath because they knew he wouldn’t be able to make deep throws down the field. Those short-yardage gains mean nothing when you’re trailing your opponent consistently.
So far, Jones has looked like a deer in headlights when it comes to facing elite defenses. That’s something to keep in mind as the Giants move forward.
The Worst Wide Receiver Corps In The League
Do you see how this is mostly offensively related in terms of the team’s struggles? I am not blaming this defense, although they need to start making plays too.
But, the Giants’ receiver group is terrible.
PFF has ranked the Giants OL and WRs 32nd.
— Gridiron Media (@Gridiron_Media_) September 27, 2023
That's last.
As if, things couldn’t be worse.
Here’s how bad this receiver room is. The leading receiver is a tight end (Darren Waller). The best actual wideout is Darius Slayton, and even he has been lackluster so far (nine catches for 109 yards and zero touchdowns through three games). Last year’s breakout Isaiah Hodgins has just that one touchdown against Arizona (five catches for 64 yards so far this year). Parris Campbell has done basically nothing since coming to New York (11 catches for 47 yards, 4.7 avg per catch).
Combined, all of the Giants’ wideouts have 334 total yards receiving. Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, Keenan Allen, and Puka Nacua have more yards receiving individually than them. That’s sad.
There is just no one that screams “electric playmaker” in this group. The closest would be rookie Jalin Hyatt, and he’s barely been on the field. New York may need to revamp their wide receiver room in the offseason because this group isn’t going to get it done. It’s just a bunch of WR2s and 3s that want to be a WR1 but aren’t talented enough.
I have a solution that would ease things for now. Start Hyatt, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Sterling Shepard. The first two can make plays with their speed, and Shepard has a solid connection with Jones when healthy. It’s not the best solution, but you have to work with what you got.
The Season Could Be Over Soon
New York’s schedule isn’t getting easier. A loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night would be extremely deflating. After that, they have to face off against the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills. With this group of guys, those games look like two losses right off the bat.
Something needs to change. The offensive line, the receiving corps, and better quarterback play. Everything needs to improve. Otherwise, New York will be picking in the top 10 in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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Featured image by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
