So much for the “Giants’ struggling offense” story line.
After posting 28 points over the first two games — both losses — the Giants are averaging 37.5 in their two victories, including last Thursday’s 45-14 flogging of the Redskins on the road. Next up is a trip to Atlanta against a Falcons team that fell to 2-2 after a loss in Minnesota.
Here are the keys for the Giants to run their win streak to three on Sunday afternoon.
Spread it around
Eli Manning is as accurate as ever this season, completing 66.9% of this passes through four games. Of his 139 attempts, 93 have been targeted to either Victor Cruz (32), Larry Donnell (31) or Rueben Randle (30). Continuing to not rely on one receiver will help to free everyone up, and the possible debut of rookie Odell Beckham Jr. this week can only help.
Tryin’ to stop Ryan
While the Giants’ offensive line has done a solid job of keeping Manning from taking a beating, the Atlanta blockers are even better and giving quarterback Matt Ryan time to throw. That’s something the Giants must disrupt, given Ryan already has tossed 10 touchdowns this season and been sacked just five times. Robert Ayers (two sacks) and Jason Pierre-Paul (1.5 sacks) have their work cut out for them.
Go for the high score
While the Falcons have one of the best offenses in the league so far, their defense is far from comparable. The unit ranks 29th in scoring defense, 28th in rushing defense and 30th in passing defense. Given the Giants’ recent scoring outbursts, the final score might end up resembling that of a college basketball game. That should favor the Giants, who have shown better play on ‘D’.
