N.Y. Giants: The Pressure Is On For Some, Off For Others

From the desk: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

No Pressure, Big Problem

Lack of Quarterback Pressure Makes Bridgewater and Heinicke Look Like Elway and Theismann

Two pedestrian quarterbacks have now outperformed Daniel Jones because they played under far less duress. 

In Week One, fourth-quarter ineptness on offense contributed to the defense being stranded on the field for upwards of thirty-five minutes.  In turn, the Giants made Teddy Bridgewater look like John Elway.  Bridgewater completed 77.7% of his 36 pass attempts for 264 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.  The defense recorded two sacks and just six other QB hits.  

Denver's backfield rushed 25 times for 146 yards (Bridgewater not included).  A big chunk of that came on Melvin Gordon's fourth-quarter 70-yard romp for a touchdown.  Take that out of the equation, and the Broncos rushed 24 times for 76 yards.  Which is to say, when you continually fail to achieve first downs on offense and keep sending out the defense to cover your ass, things like Melvin Gordon are going to happen.

In Week Two, the offense's lack of discipline and more fourth-quarter ineptness directly contributed to a second consecutive loss.  A bevy of penalties sabotages an otherwise adequate performance by Daniel Jones.  The Giants even won the time of possession.

However, the Giants made quarterback Taylor Heinicke look like Joe Theismann.  Playing in only his tenth career game in five years, he completed 73.9% of 46 pass attempts for 336 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception (the Giants' first this season).  They sacked Heinicke just once with only two other QB hits.  

On the ground, at least the Giants held Washington to 81 yards on 18 carries.  But with so little quarterback pressure, receiver Terry McLauren torched the secondary for 107 yards on eleven catches, and J.D. McKissic caught five passes for another 83 yards.  Compare that to Denver receiver Jerry Jeudy who caught six passes for only 72 yards.

Bridgewater and Heinicke together completed (62/82) 75.6% of their passes for precisely 600 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception.  Through two games, the Giants have generated just three sacks and only eight other QB hits.  

Meanwhile, Daniel Jones was sacked twice and hit six other times in Week One, and Washington sacked him four times with seven additional hits.  That's quite the imbalance.  In turn, through two games, Jones is 44/69 (63.7%) for 516 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions (and one big fumble).

I will be kind and say the Giants to date have "effectively" limited opposing backfields to 157 rushing yards.  But it has become evidently clear the onus is now on defensive coordinator Patrick Graham to devise more pressure on the quarterback. 

It's up to Joe Judge to clean up the penalties; sixteen flags costing the Giants (132 yards) more than the length of a football field.