New York Giants: Olivier Vernon, players to watch vs. Falcons in Week 7
2. Eli Manning, QB
It’s been a rough year for the 37-year old signal-caller. One of the toughest of his storied career. Manning has looked old and a little shell-shocked from taking so many hits over the last few seasons. He’s already been sacked 20 times this year. His time as the starting quarterback for the G-Men is running out, but he has a chance to put up some impressive numbers against Atlanta’s porous defensive unit.
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The Falcons rank 29th in the NFL in pass defense, allowing 296 yards per game. They also have recorded just 10 sacks, ranking them 26th in that category. If New York’s offensive line, which has been a major disappointment in 2018, can give Manning a decent amount of time to throw, the veteran quarterback can wreak havoc with weapons like Odell Beckham Jr, Sterling Shepard and Saquon Barkley out of the backfield.
Let’s also not forget that tight end Evan Engram is expected to return for the prime time tilt after missing the last three weeks with a knee injury. The G-Men have weapons. It’s time for Manning to open up the offense.
Instead of being Checkdown Charlie, Manning needs to throw the ball down the field, try some post and slant tosses to Beckham, make something happen. Why not? What does Big Blue have to lose at this point? Try a flea-flicker, anything to open up what should be a dynamic offensive attack.
This promises to be a high-scoring battle. Enough with all the dump-offs. Lift the lid off the offense and fire the ball down the field. At least that philosophy will be entertaining to watch.