Giants offensive ineptitude risks fracturing locker room as defense does its job
It is one of those themes that must be regurgitated at times like this.Even though there are no signs of fracturing, the questions start cropping up, probing to determine if it might happen.Are the frustrations growing? Are there signs of a divide?The offense is playing losing football.
The defense is playing winning football.It is one team with two different identities.This is not exactly new ground to cover with the Giants.
A surging defense and a slacking offense has been standard operating procedure for this franchise more often than not over the years.This season, it is on display to such an extent that it feels almost impossible to prevent tension from building in the building.
The way the Giants went out and lost, 17-7, to the Bengals Sunday night in yet another primetime setback was all the evidence needed to determine this is a split-personality operation.That is why head coach Brian Daboll kept repeating some version of “that starts with me’’ immediately afterwards.He is the creator of this offense and this season he took over the play-calling on game days and nights.
He has not yet figured out how to get his team in the end zone with any semblance of consistency.In the first four games, Daboll had wide receiver Malik Nabers setting all sorts of rookie records and the offense scored six points on the Vikings, 18 points on the Commanders, 21 points on the Browns and 15 points (on five field goals) on the Cowboys.Take Nabers and starting running back Devin Singletary off the field with injuries the past two games and it has been 29 points (23 from the offense) on the Seahawks and the seven points on a Bengals defense that allowed 29 points a game in its first five games before coming to MetLife Stadium and looking like a dominant unit.
Daniel Jones, after four straight solid — but hardly spectacular — outings was as unsatisfying as soggy oatmeal.He threw 41 passes, completed only 22 and his longest connections went for only 15 yards.
Plus the...