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It’s already seen as the New York Giants start slowly and fall to the Denver Broncos 27-13 in Game 1 of the season.
The game got off to a good start as the Giants managed to keep the Broncos out of the end zone despite repeated trips into the red zone. However, the Giants could only get sporadic traction on offense and their defense just couldn’t get off the field. Wide receiver Kenny Golladay warned of a slow start to the season for the Giants, well … He was right.
Neither the Giants nor we have much time to dwell on their opening loss, but we should take stock of what we’ve learned.
Giants need to tighten up their sloppy game
The New York Giants had some good points in this game. The play of Sterling Shepard out of the slot and Kenny Golladay on the outside looked like the Giants had answered their questions about the receiver for the past two years. Likewise, the Giants’ run defense did what it was supposed to do (aside from Melvin Gordon’s 70-yard touchdown run).
However, there were breakdowns in several units that both led to big plays (or potential big plays) for Denver on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Cover failures lead to wide open receivers in the Giants’ secondary, while pass protection issues lead to Daniel Jones taking some big hits. Likewise, the Giants had several costly penalties, including a late hit out of bounds and a late hit on Teddy Bridgewater to add hidden distance to the Bronco’s offense.
Daniel Jones had a mixed day, with some good passes and runs, but also a fumble and a pair of interceptions that should have been. It didn’t help that Darius Slayton couldn’t hold onto the ball, catching just 3 of 7 targets, losing four.
Even Joe Judge stepped into the act, costing himself some time out by challenging an indisputable scoring game.
The Giants have a quick turnaround before hosting the Washington football team. There isn’t much time, but they definitely have some issues to work on.
On the ground
We often talk about suffocating defenses, but it is more rare that we talk about an attack suffocating the other team. But that’s exactly what the Denver Broncos offense did to the Giants offense.
By the start of the fourth quarter, the Broncos had held the ball for just under 30 minutes, an entire half of football. The Giants’ defense played strong, but they just couldn’t get off the field at any point in the game.
Thanks to the Broncos offense, Pat Shurmur designed and called a good game, and Teddy Bridgewater played really well. He always identified favorable games and gaps in Giants coverage and found the man open.
But despite everything, we’ve seen some of the same issues as in 2020, especially when it comes to the pass rush. The Giants struggled to generate pressure quickly with their natural pass rush, and instead had to rely on their secondary to keep the ball in Bridgewater’s hand or for additional blitzers. And with the Broncos able to find room in the Giants ‘secondary for the receptions they needed to keep the offense moving, Denver was simply able to reduce the Giants’ defense until it finally broke.
The Giants’ offense seemed scarce outside of Sterling Shepard, but it didn’t help that they had few opportunities before the game went out of reach.
No race hall
The Giants want to win with their racing game. They want their offense to go through Saquon Barkley (and Devontae Booker) and the passing game to complement the running game.
There was hope the Giants would be able to kick-start their running game early against a defense that allowed 4.8 yards per carry a year ago. However, the Broncos ‘front 7 is much healthier than a year ago, and the Giants’ offensive line has left none of the team’s runners nowhere to go.
Saquon Barkley finished with 26 yards on 10 carries and never looked quite like himself. He lacked his usual explosiveness and didn’t seem willing to drop his hips and run as low to the ground as he had before. Not only did this seem to limit his ability to change direction, but he never really ran behind his pads. Maybe because the holes closed almost before they could open, but Barkley – and the racing game – never looked ‘right’.
The Giants’ offensive line wasn’t exactly the pre-game disaster we feared. However, there was still too much penetration into the Giants’ backfield and the blockers never created space. Without the running game to keep the offense on schedule, the Giants were forced to rely on their passing offense, which just made things easier for the Denver defense.
Separation of schemas
If there is one bright spot to take away from this game, it is Sterling Shepard’s game. Allowed to play his natural position as a slot machine receiver, Shepard was simply dynamic. He looked like himself again, and this guy is one of the best NFL slots receivers. Shepard was quick, strong, reliable, and astute – all they needed from their veteran receiver.
He was aided by a clever road design from the Giants’ offense.
The Giants didn’t just trust Shepard to come out on an island in isolation road after isolation road and still win. They planned a number of scuff routes (and maybe a few choices), deeper scissor concepts, and in general did what they could to build traffic for the Broncos secondary. This created opportunities for Shepard to do some of his areas of expertise. When the Giants offense moved, it was because Shepard was moving the ball, and when they had dynamic plays, it was Shepard’s dynamism.
There wasn’t much to do for the Giants offense, but Shepard, who has looked the best in years, might be something to lean on.
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