N.Y. Giants: Still In Search of the Elusive Hog Mollies

From the desk: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

WEEK TWO

Giants

vs.

WASHINGTON

Unless Offensive Line Elevates Their Game, Expect More of the Same 

Here's the thing about Washington, if Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn't get hurt after just six passing attempts, perhaps the Chargers do not possess the ball for upwards of thirty-six minutes.  That being said, Washington's defensive front yielded 90 yards on 25 backfield rushes from scrimmage (QBs not included).  You can translate this two ways: Washington limited the Chargers to less than 100-yards rushing, or it took the Chargers over thirty-six minutes to accumulate 90 yards.  What would LAC's total have been had Ryan Fitzpatrick not gotten hurt?

Saquon Barkley got his test run last Sunday against the Broncos and looked, physically speaking, good to go.  He was handed the Giants' very first play from scrimmage for a five-yard gain.  Afterwhich, he rushed nine more times for 21 yards giving him 26 total yards on ten rushes.  Devontae Booker rushed four times for seven yards.  Do the math, and the backfield accounted for 33 yards on 14 rushes.  This simply will not do.

Daniel Jones scampered off six times for 27 yards, coming seven yards short of outrushing his backfield.  Far too often, this has been the case.  Sunday's opening game merely reinforces much of what went on last season in the absence of Saquon Barkley.  That's why in Thursday night's game against Washington, a division game, the Giant running game absolutely needs to do more, far more, if they aspire to be competitive.

The faux Hog Mollies face a big test this coming Thursday.  The question remains when will they, if ever, create requisite running lanes to minimize Daniel Jones' time playing in dire straits.  The Giants possessed the ball for just under 25:00 minutes against Denver, which proved woefully inadequate. 

What good is having all these ball handlers if the offensive line cannot influence the game?

The long underachieving Hog Mollies' next performance against Washington will speak volumes.