Takeaways from the Giants’ performance against Jacksonville
While the result was disappointing, the 2018 season opener provided glimmers of hope for the rest of the season
Coming into a Week 1 showdown against arguably the best defense in the league, the Pat Shurmur-led Giants had tempered expectations and faced a number of questions.
Would the defense under new defensive coordinator James Bettcher bounce back from a dreadful 2017? Would the offense led by Shurmur show the creativity the talent on that side of the ball deserves? How much should we weigh the team they’re facing against their performance ?
Now, a day after the 20–15 defeat at the hands of Jacksonville, what can we take away from the Giants’ performance?
Offense
Saquon is the real deal. Of course, there are those (myself included) who wanted the Giants to take a QB with the second pick and set up for the future. Saquon is, however, a New York Giant and will be the main focal point — alongside Odell Beckham Jr. — for years to come in what should be a top-half offense. He predictably found little room to run against Jacksonville’s stout defense, but still managed to make his mark with a phenomenal 68-yard TD run to bring the Giants within a score.
Expect lots of performances like this one from Barkley; ones where he may be stifled for a majority of the game thanks to poor line play, but where he still manages to break off a big play or two. Consistency will come at a premium for Barkley, thanks in great part to the five linemen in front of him.
Where do we start with the offensive line? Well, for one, they faced one of the best defensive lines in all of football, and arguably the best one they’ll face all year. It’s going to be tough to properly gauge a unit’s performance when their first time together in live action is against such good opposition. That being said, let’s try our best.
Ereck Flowers should not start for any NFL franchise; whether it be at left tackle, right tackle, long snapper, or holder, it just shouldn’t happen. His mechanics are awful. His overall play is awful. And that awful play directly contributed to TWO penalties on the first three plays (how?) and a pick-six. Flowers must have dirt on John Mara or Steve Tisch. I can’t think of another reason why he remains a starter for the Giants after years upon years of the highest degree of ineptitude.
The rest of the line looked relatively poor-to-fine at best, but between learning how to work together and facing one of the best lines out there, this was expected.
As for the passing attack, Eli looked…fine. Not great, not bad, but fine. He missed a couple of big throws to Odell and settled for short completions on multiple third downs. Is it encouraging to see Eli continue with some of the same tendencies he’s shown the last couple seasons? No. At this point we need to hope that was due to facing such a stout defense, otherwise the “Eli’s washed up” talk will intensify.
Eli’s main reason for success yesterday? Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham ran wild throughout the Jacksonville secondary, routinely roasting corners and safeties alike. Nobody, yes nobody — including Jalen Ramsey — could keep up with him. In one drive alone, Beckham drew back-to-back pass interference penalties, the first of which surely prevented a touchdown. He finished the day with 11 catches for 111 yards, and it feels as though that stat-line is a letdown.
If there’s one thing you take from the Giants on the offensive side of the ball, let it be this: Odell hasn’t lost a step since breaking his ankle last season, and that should scare the Giants’ 15 remaining opponents.
Before moving onto the defense, it’d be remiss of me to not mention the complete lack of finishing in the red zone. If they convert two of their three FGs into TDs, they win this game, end of story. Instead, their lack of finishing cost them the victory in what was a very winnable game.
Defense
Overall, it was a solid performance from James Bettcher’s defense. While the Jags picked up solid yardage on the ground throughout, the Giants — especially in the second half — proved more than up to the task against this offense. Holding the Jags to zero points in the second half (pick-six aside), the Giants defense showed that they have the ability to put their offense in a position to succeed.
The defensive line looked relatively solid throughout, and rookie B.J. Hill easily slotted into a starting role. Between Hill, Snacks Harrison and Dalvin Tomlinson, the Giants have a young DL that should provide fits for opposing offenses and gaps through which Bettcher will send willing blitzers throughout the season.
The biggest issue for this defense will be generating a consistent pass rush. Finishing with only one sack, the Giants were not able to generate quite enough pressure on Blake Bortles throughout. Far too often, Bortles had more than enough time to sit back in the pocket and allow his WRs to work their way into open positions. That’ll need to change going forward (the loss of Olivier Vernon certainly hurt) if the Giants are to succeed on defense.
There were other sequences on the defensive side of the ball that can provide us with hope going forward, though. From Janoris Jenkins’ interception in the first half, to the three or four consecutive three-and-outs later in the game, to Eli Apple’s consistent play, the defense should regress back to the mean after the disappointment of 2017. This should be, at worst, a middle of the road defense, led by the line, Landon Collins and Janoris Jenkins.
Special Teams
Aldrick Rosas hit all three of his FG attempts. Riley Dixon averaged 49.4 yards per punt over five attempts. Kaelin Clay fumbled a punt and ended any hope of a late Giants victory. Two of these are great; one is not-so-great. I doubt Clay will remain on the team for long.
I’m not sure if it’s a result of being numb from disappointment after the catastrophe that was the 2017 season, but I’m not as upset as I feel like I should be after a loss like that. The game was right there for the taking against an AFC finalist, but the Giants couldn’t finish the job. They outperformed Jacksonville in nearly every single stat but two: red zone efficiency and turnovers. These ultimately led to the Giants falling to 0–1.
It’s only one game, and, more specifically, one game under a new coach. The Giants have their full arsenal of weapons on the offensive side of the ball, coupled with a defense that stepped up as the game went on. This may not quite be a playoff team yet, but after yesterday’s performance, I’d say it’s safe to say the Giants will be in pretty much every game they play this season.
Now, let’s put last season behind us and allow ourselves to experience just a little bit of hope for what’s to come. We’re onto Dallas.
