The New York Giants have one of the worst offenses in the NFL through 15 weeks, as they average a measly 17.4 points per game, less than the Cincinnati Bengals, who are without their star quarterback and just above the New York Jets, who have a historically bad offense.
While teams across the league are setting unprecedented numbers in points and yards per game, the Giants are falling behind in a league that is focusing on downfield throwing and stretching the field. The Giants do have some positives on offense, notably their running game and the development of their offensive line, two factors that have fallen behind in recent years.
However, their passing attack is abysmal, averaging 185.7 yards per game and have scored single digits in the last two performances against the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns, two teams who have average defenses at best.
Nonetheless, a lot of the blame falls on offensive coordinator and play-caller Jason Garrett. After spending over a decade with the Dallas Cowboys as an OC and head coach, he was fired last season and brought his talents over to Big Blue. So far, the results have been underwhelming, and the Giants might even consider moving on from him after this season due to an inefficiency in most categories.
The New York Giants are still rolling with Garrett this week:
Garrett contracted Covid last week and missed the contest against Cleveland, and while he’s not expected to be in attendance against the Baltimore Ravens in week 16, there’s a solid chance he calls place regardless. Last week, tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens took over as play-caller, pushing the ball down-field and successfully driving on the Browns on multiple occasions. Garrett’s playcalling is a lot different, focusing on short-yardage routes and dink and dunk play style.
Judge said they expect OC Jason Garrett to be at the game and calling plays from the sideline on Sunday. Garrett has been quarantined since testing positive for COVID-19 last week. Unclear if he’ll have to travel separately to Baltimore.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) December 24, 2020
After reviewing plenty of film on Garrett, it is clear that his scheme and route concepts are simply lackluster. Receivers are unable to gain separation on the short routes, and the blends he’s using simply don’t make sense. Take a look at the clip below, showing a side-by-side view of Garrett’s short-yardage playcalling and Cleveland Browns’ Kevin Stefanski’s.
Guys, prepare for ANGER.
~This is Jason Garrett Vs Kevin Stefanski~
Garrett: Giants run 2 curls on bottom, EE runs hook, Slayton runs hook, Rb runs flat…NO SPACE.
Stefanski: Browns run outside WRs verts to clear out DBs, takes 3 DBs out of the play, Hooper Vs Carter Coughlin pic.twitter.com/pEC5GBXXpG
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) December 23, 2020
The one thing Garrett has going for him is the running game, as the Giants have earned seven games this season with 100+ rushing yards and four with 140+ yards on the ground. They average 113.5 yards per game in the category, indicating that Garrett has managed to develop a solid running game with two reserve backs in Wayne Gallman and Alfred Morris. If they can resolve this passing issue, the offense can take a massive step forward, so the Giants might even consider bringing in a passing game coordinator rather than allowing Jason to continue forward as the primary play-caller.
Either way, Garrett hasn’t proven to me he is capable of running this offense at a high-level, and the Giants have plenty of talent to work with, they simply aren’t utilized properly. If it were me, I would let Jason go and find a more downfield style coach who will utilize a nice blend of running but also pushing boundary receivers downfield to stretch the defense. I believe he’s running out of time to prove his worth, and his next two games will tell us everything we need to know if we haven’t seen it already through 15 weeks.