It took until the first quarter of the second preseason game for the New York Giants' perceived biggest weakness to surface as a potential red flag for their 2016 season. Their offensive line struggled badly in a 21-0 loss in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday -- the first time since 2001 that the Giants were shut out in a preseason contest -- against a Buffalo Bills defense that was without several key starters.
The Giants' line couldn’t open holes, couldn’t protect quarterback Eli Manning, and couldn’t stop committing penalties. It started with right guard John Jerry's false start on the opening drive. It continued with left tackle Ereck Flowers' holding penalty on the first play of the second drive. It was capped by center Weston Richburg's holding penalty on the third drive.
The Giants’ first-team offensive line was a mess on Saturday afternoon. In fact, so was the entire first-team offense, even with Manning and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on the field.
The Giants netted 32 yards on 16 plays with Manning behind center. They produced zero points and just one first down, and the offensive line was the glaring problem.
To be fair, the Giants did play without starting left guard Justin Pugh (shoulder). He’s one of their better players on the line. Bobby Hart started in his place.
But that’s not an excuse. Hart hardly seemed like the Achilles' heel.
That honor belonged to tight end Larry Donnell. He seemed to whiff on more blocks than he made. Not surprisingly, Giants running backs had 11 rushing yards on seven carries in the first half.
It all provides reason to be concerned about the upcoming campaign.
QB depth chart: Manning went 4-of-9 passing for 44 yards. None of the four completions came downfield. It wasn’t his best performance, but it also wasn’t his worst. He didn’t appear interested in sitting in the pocket and absorbing any big hits (for good reason), and the result was his feet often looked fast. The end result was he was uncomfortable in the pocket and threw some passes quickly and inaccurately. It’s only the preseason.
“Well it’s always good to get live game action,” Manning said after leaving the game early in the second quarter. “Obviously, I would have liked to play better with the first-team offense, but it’s good to get back out there, feel the rush, and make some plays. But we definitely have some room to improve from this one.”
Backup quarterback Ryan Nassib also struggled against the Bills. He failed to recognize a blitz late in the first half and fumbled for his fourth turnover in two preseason games. Nassib finished 2-of-12 passing for 25 yards.
Giants quarterbacks are 17-of-43 passing for 171 yards with no touchdown passes and six turnovers. Yikes!
Maybe that player could start: Hart had a big opportunity on Saturday. Coach Ben McAdoo pointed out before the game that he was excited to see what the second-year lineman could do with the starters. Well, Hart appeared serviceable at left guard with the first team. But when he moved to right tackle with the second team, there were struggles. With starting right tackle Marshall Newhouse having a subpar performance (along with the rest of the starters) this was Hart's chance to turn heads. It doesn't appear that it happened.
Who got hurt? Here is a positive. Not much to report aside from wide receiver Dwayne Harris needing an X-ray on his knee but returning to the sideline and safety Mykkele Thompson leaving with a concussion.
Did not play: Wide receivers Victor Cruz (groin) and Geremy Davis (hamstring), guard Justin Pugh (shoulder), defensive end Kerry Wynn (groin), cornerback Eli Apple (knee), fullback Will Johnson (stinger), cornerback Leon McFadden (leg), linebacker J.T. Thomas (hamstring-PUP)
A surprise player who impressed: Linebacker Jonathan Casillas ran sideline to sideline making plays, forced an incompletion deep down the right sideline, and knifed into the backfield on several running plays. Casillas built on his strong summer with a quality preseason performance. He’s destined to be the Giants' only three-down linebacker this season.
When it was starters vs. starters, the Giants looked … Awful offensively and OK defensively. The offense did nothing. The Giants couldn’t run, they couldn’t protect, and they were shut out. The defense made some plays, but it allowed a touchdown and needed a goal-line forced fumble by Landon Collins to prevent another. At least the defense flashed some positives, though.
One reason to be concerned: The blocking of the Giants’ tight ends may have been the scariest aspect of all. Donnell, Will Tye and Matt LaCosse didn’t get the job done. Donnell’s technique and execution were awful. The Giants need better from this group.
Middle linebacker update: The Giants still don’t seem close to settled on a starting middle linebacker. Kelvin Sheppard started in Buffalo, but Jasper Brinkley and Keenan Robinson were also worked into the first-team mix. Sheppard and Robinson had their fair share of missed tackles. They didn't help their cause. Robinson also allowed the tight end to get deep downfield for a long completion and picked up a face mask penalty. Rookie B.J. Goodson later had his struggles with pass coverage. The middle linebacker competition remains wide open.
Youngster who impressed: Defensive end Romeo Okwara had some good snaps, including one where he hit Bills backup quarterback EJ Manuel. Okwara even snuck in for a play with the first-team defense. There are a lot of positive signs with the Notre Dame product. He keeps helping his cause to earn a roster spot.
