New York Giants: The Key To Stopping The Houston Texans

New York Giants, Eli Manning, Saquon Barkley
Sep 16, 2018; Arlington, TX, USA; New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) and quarterback Eli Manning (10) on the field before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

When you take a look at both of the games the New York Giants have lost this season, you can see one glaring similarity. The opposing team has a good to great defensive line, and that won’t change on Sunday against the Houston Texans.

A line that consists of JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney could end up being the toughest challenge this year for a Giants offensive line that couldn’t even handle an average d-line in Dallas.

Ultimately, the key to stopping Houston will be to win in the trenches. If the Giants can hold up against Watt and Clowney, they will be able to move the ball. The question is, how do you stop two guys that are in the elite section with on turnstile of a tackle and the other a bit above average? Help…and a lot of it.

Expect the Giants to utilize Saquon Barkley and their tight ends early to block and provide Eli Manning with a bit of time. This week will be all about hitting your assignments and communication, as last we the offense failed to cover up stunts and position themselves in the right places. Going up against Watt will be the biggest challenge, especially since he can play at every position on the line.

An overview of the New York Giants’ offensive line performance so far:

The Giants haven’t been beat physically per-say, with the exception of Ereck Flowers, but their blocking schemes have been tragic at every stage. They have failed to communication properly and have lost the one-on-one matchups in the trenches.

With center Jon Halapio suffering a season ending injury, John Greco will step in and fill the void. Maybe, it will be the difference in the line settling down and finding their rhythm, but this is unlikely considering Halapio was the highest graded lineman on the team.

Manning already has the fasted delivery time in the league behind his lackluster line, and you wouldn’t believe that the unit currently ranks 23rd in the NFL…how scary is that?

The Texans will most likely mimic what the Cowboys did in week 2, trying to create confusion and force Manning to dump it off short where they can swarm to the ball and make a play.

The bottom line, the Giants need to show a better product on the field this week, and if they drop to an 0-3 start, we may begin to see some repetitive behavior from last season.