On Sunday, the New York Giants hosted the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife stadium. The Vikings defense was bound to be a problem for the Giants, and this would prove to be the truth as the Vikings picked apart the Giants on their home turf.
But it wasn’t just the defense that gave New York fits, the Giants’ inability to stop the Vikings offense proved problematic as well.
Here are four thing we learned in Week 5:
Giants are tough as nails, but lack talent
In just five weeks, the Giants have already had a tumultuous season. They switched quarterbacks, they lost their star running back and the linebackers have suffered injuries. Yet, through it all, they have held it together and continued to fight. The problem is that they don’t have the talent to overcome the losses they’ve suffered.
Sure, they have talented players at various positions, but as a whole, the team lacks talent. You can be as tough as you want and battle through anything, but at the end of the day, if you lack talent, you aren’t going to win.
This falls squarely on the shoulders of the previous management in their ability to not only attract talent, but to draft it. Dave Gettleman is working to change that, but it’s clear the team is still very thin.
Lack of depth is killing the Giants
Going along with the lack of talent is a lack of depth. The running backs and linebacker corps are prime examples of where the team lacks depth. The Giants have one running back with talent, just one. Wayne Gallman could be a decent backup, but he’s out with a concussion and who knows when he will return. Probably not this week.
Jonathan Hillman isn’t talented enough to carry the ground game on his own, especially against the likes of New England, which the Giants face on Thursday. It’s possible Saquon Barkley returns for that game, but if he doesn’t, the ground game is toast.
Then there’s the linebacker corps. Alec Ogletree, Tae Davis, Ryan Connelly, and Lorenzo Carter are all injured. None of them played in Week 5, leaving Markus Golden and Dexter Lawrence to manage the front seven and pass rush essentially on their own. And they were destroyed by Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook because there was no help available to them. This is an issue that definitely needs addressed sooner than later.
Like Eli Manning, Daniel Jones can’t survive a relentless beating
Jones was hit eight times and sacked four times on Sunday against the Vikings. He’s been sacked a total of nine times in three games, and against Minnesota he was sacked four times for 35 yards. He’s thrown three interceptions and lost two fumbles since his debut, largely because his protection has been sub par.
But it’s not just the line which needs to take some heat for this, Jones has to learn how to take a beating and keep playing at the top of his game. All quarterbacks get hit, all quarterbacks get sacks. Yes, some more than others, but the quarterback’s job is to run the offense no matter what is happening on the field.
Jones is Manning’s clone in just about every way he plays, including his inability to effectively run the offense when he’s getting hit or pressured on every single down. Knowing this, Pat Shurmur and Dave Gettleman need to devise a plan to keep him better protected so that he can effectively do his job on the field.
Darius Slayton may be a diamond in the rough
If there was one bright spot to Sunday’s loss, it was the Player of the Game, Giants rookie wideout Darius Slayton.
Slayton, who went to Auburn, was drafted by the Giants in the fifth round and not fully expected to make an impact this season, but he’s turning heads early. He’s only appeared in three games this season, nabbing nine receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown, but the way he stood out against the Vikings has the Giants salivating.
Slayton had four receptions for 62 yards, including the 35-yard touchdown pass from Jones in the second quarter that made the score 10-7 in the Giants favor. He has a ton of potential, and could be the spark the Giants need to ignite their veteran receivers to make some plays or get benched.
