New York Giants: Offense must shine against Saints

So far this year, the New York Giants offense has not been the juggernaut it was supposed to be. Of course, there are reasons for that.

Victor Cruz has yet to return and Odell Beckham Jr. hasn’t been healthy either. The offense’s best, most complete game was against the 49ers, in which Eli Manning had a career game.

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However, the unit has been inconsistent, disappearing for large portions of games. One has to believe the offense will eventually have a breakout, explosive game. There’s reason to believe this Sunday in New Orleans might be the game Ben McAdoo’s offense has been long overdue for.

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First and foremost, Beckham seems to be fully healthy since he injured his hamstring in the aforementioned game against the Niners. Recently, he hasn’t looked like the OBJ Giants fans know and marvel at. In the past two games, Beckham hasn’t been able to do much, and he’s only caught seven passes for 96 yards and one touchdown. However, he’s been a full participant in practice, and he should be ready to get back to his normal, explosive self. Beckham told Giants.com he thinks he’s ‘back to the normal routine,’ so that’s obviously great news.

Sunday will be a homecoming for Beckham, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him have a huge game, with his family and friends in attendance.

OBJ can’t be the sole offensive threat, though. It’s also a homecoming for Rueben Randle too, but you might not have heard that. Randle is also from Louisiana and went to LSU, but in typical Randle, low-key fashion, nobody has really talked about it. He’s one of the best number-two receivers in the NFC, and the Giants need to see production out of their fourth-year pro.

While we’re on the topic of homecomings, it’ll also be a homecoming for Orleans Darkwa, who attended Tulane and played his collegiate games in the Super Dome. Darkwa’s emergence last week against Dallas has likely earned him more touches in a crowded backfield, but a crowded backfield isn’t a bad thing.

Having four — Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen, Andre Williams and Darkwa — competent backs to hand the ball off to is a luxury few teams have. They all do different things, and the foursome should keep the Saints’ defense honest.

Speaking of the Saints’ defense; it’s a unit that ranks 30th in total defense and 26th against the pass. In pass coverage, the Saints commit a lot of penalties due to their aggression.

Quarterback Eli Manning spoke highly about Rob Ryan’s defense, especially star defensive end Cameron Jordan.

“They’ve got a good defense, they’re really good on third down. They’ve done a great job getting guys off the field,” Manning said. “You see him [Jordan] getting to the quarterback. He’s a big guy, he’s got some speed and quickness … So we need to do a good job having our offensive line block him up and I’ve got to get the ball out quickly, move around the pocket and find some throwing lanes.”

Manning isn’t wrong, as Jordan is by far the best pass rusher on the Saints. The offensive line could struggle, especially if Jordan decides to spend his entire day rushing against Marshall Newhouse. Newhouse has been a serviceable player, but he’s the least reliable on the line. On the left side, Ereck Flowers has been exceeding expectations, and he’s held Pro-Bowlers like Jerry Hughes and Greg Hardy to no sacks.

The interior of the line has played well, too. Justin Pugh, A.K.A. This Generation’s David Diehl, is a much, much better guard than he is tackle, and the pairing of him and center Weston Richburg has been terrific. The eldest member of the line Geoff Schwartz‘s status for Sunday is unclear, but having him out of the lineup will create a big void.

This has to be a statement game for New York’s offense. They’re still not even at full strength yet with Cruz and Will Beatty still not on the field. A big game in the Big Easy could put other teams on notice, in an almost “look-at-how-good-we-are-and-we’re-still-missing-two-of-our-starters” kind of way.

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