Giants O-line Ranked Near Bottom League Wide After Week 1

It wasn’t a spectacular showing for the New York Giants in Week 1. If anything, it was the exact opposite, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Quarterback Daniel Jones, entering a crucial sixth year, had arguably the worst game of his career. Jones threw for just 186 yards and two interceptions, one of them being returned for a touchdown in the third quarter. Boos rained down heavily from the MetLife Stadium crowd as early as the first quarter and lasted throughout the entirety of the game. The offense looked as inept as it did last season and time is running out to turn things around.

Some fans tried to deflect the blame onto the offensive line, but the numbers tell a different story. The unit allowed just 10 pressures and one sack, credited to left guard Jon Runyan Jr. The revamped unit, led by left tackle Andrew Thomas and free agents Runyan, Jermaine Eluemunor, and Greg Van Roten, played a solid game. They gave Jones 2.82 seconds to throw, which ranked 12th in the NFL for Week 1. Jones took five sacks, with four of them being credited to him.

Despite this, PFF ranked the Giants’ offensive line 29th ahead of Week 2.

“The Giants almost completely overhauled their offensive line in the offseason — necessary improvements for a unit ranked 30th in PFF pass-blocking efficiency score. In Week 1, New York allowed 10 total pressures on 50 dropbacks, leading to an 89.5 score that ranked 10th,” PFF analyst Zoltan Buday wrote. 

“The improvement that the Giants are expecting from center John Michael Schmitz in his second season was not visible yet in Week 1. His 47.1 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked just 26th among centers.”

Thomas’ performance was outstanding. He pitched a shutout in his first game of the season, and PFF acknowledged him as the Giants’ best offensive lineman against the Vikings.

“While every other Giants offensive lineman allowed at least two pressures, Thomas played a perfect game and did not allow a single pressure on a whopping 52 dropbacks. His 91.4 PFF pass-blocking grade led all offensive linemen in Week 1.”

The likely reason the Giants are still ranked so low is due to their run blocking. Opposed to their solid pass blocking, the run game couldn’t get anything going all day. The Giants rushed for an average of 3.5 yards per carry, with lead rusher Devin Singletary posting just 37 yards on ten carries. The Giants even tried a few designed runs with Jones, but he could only muster up 15 yards on six carries.

The Giants’ offensive line has a long way to go in gaining respect among the media. Despite their solid output against the Vikings, the group has a predetermined stigma surrounding it. They passed the first test, but can they do it again in Week 2 against the Commanders? Their defense doesn’t pose threats at the edge rusher position, but they still have DaRon Payne, Jonathan Allen, and Phidarian Mathis on the interior.

It was good to see the new and improved unit play together after barely doing so all summer. The Giants have to hope their protection can hold up again this Sunday to produce better offensive results.