A Deeper Dive into the Giants' Biggest Issues Through Ten Games

General manager Joe Schoen believes the Giants are close, but the numbers in some of the major statistical/production categories indicate otherwise.

Nov 3, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll reacts to an offensive pass interference call negating a Giants touchdown during the second half against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Giants head into their bye with a 2-8 record through their first ten games and a current hold on the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

There have been many reasons behind the Giants’ struggles this season beyond the quarterback's play, injuries, and coaching. Let’s take a look at the biggest culprits that have held the Giants back and then how the Giants can begin reversing some of these negative trends.

Turnover Differential

There is a belief in football that you cannot win if you're losing the turnover battle. Look no further than the 2024 New York Giants, who are minus-six in the turnover differential, for undisputable evidence of this. 

Through ten games, the Giant's offense has turned the ball over 13 times, with seven interceptions and six fumbles lost. In particular, the Giants running backs have been sloppy with ball protection, posting five fumbles–the same amount of rushing touchdowns the group has. 

They are followed by the quarterback, who has combined for six fumbles this season. Again, of the total fumbles, only six have been lost, but still, it goes without saying that when you lose the handle on the ball, you potentially lose yardage, and this team is just not good enough right now to overcome setbacks resulting from their own doing.

Further, protecting the football will put the defense in compromising situations and force them to defend some short fields. 

Meanwhile, the Giants’ defense has struggled to force turnovers to return the ball to their offense. Only eight total defensive turnovers were forced, seven fumbles recovered, and one interception. 

The defensive secondary struggles to make plays on the football and the offense's lack of ball security has significantly hurt this team. The Giants need to generate more turnovers on defense, and the offense must limit its mistakes.

3rd Down Offense

The Giants' offense ranks 20th in the league in third-down conversion percentage (37.3%). While this is not a kiss of death, it is not a sign of a great sustaining offense. 

This offense lacks consistency and reliability on key downs. They are averaging approximately 4.4 yards per play on third downs this season.

According to the NFL’s official stats, the Giants have found themselves in third-and-long (6+ yards) 67 times this season, which means they’re not exactly helping themselves on first and second downs either.

But we digress. Not being able to convert these important downs at a higher percentage results in a stalled scoring drive or a “settling” for field goals. Quarterback  Daniel Jones has fared far better with shorter down and distances where the offensive play-calling can be balanced and unpredictable. 

Of course, with a quarterback change likely, we’ll see if that helps with future third-down conversions. However, staying out of third-and-long situations would help, regardless of who is under center.

Passing Offense

The Giants' passing offense is one of the least productive in the NFL right now. It is averaging 189.8 passing yards per game, 24th in the league. 

With the combination of inept quarterback play and allowing pressure at a high rate (8.57% sacks per pass attempts, 22nd in the league, plus a 36% overall pressure rate), the Giants have struggled to execute the passing play designs. 

They are not devoid or short of weapons, but inconsistent protection paired with Jones's play in the pocket is a detriment to their passing attack.

Red Zone Offense

The Giants offense is the worst in the league (ranked 32nd) in red zone conversion and efficiency. Of their 77 red zone plays this season (23rd), they’ve converted 39.29%, which is dead last in the league.

The Giants have little trouble getting to the red zone, but once they cross that magic line into the “dead zone,” things fall apart. They are averaging 2.4 yards per play inside the 20, 27th in the league. Minimal gains in the red zone limit their ability to convert these opportunities into touchdowns. 

Speaking of touchdowns, the Giants have scored 11 total red zone touchdowns this season, making them the 2nd worst in the league, ahead of the Cleveland Browns. Jones and the passing offense average 1.8 yards per attempt, ranking dead last. 

Final Thoughts

Part of the problem is play selection–the Giants tend to call slow-developing plays, which allow defenders, who already have an advantage by having less of the field to cover, to get into position to make plays quickly.

By going to more quick strikes instead of plays like wide runs or five- and seven-step drops, perhaps they can improve their red zone efficiency in these last seven games.

It might also help to continue leaning on rookie running back Tyrone Tracy, Jr. to keep the offense balanced and on schedule. 

Also, whoever ends up as the quarterback needs a little more help behind an offensive line whose pass protection recently has had a few more hiccups. This can be accomplished by moving the launch point, especially in the red zone, to create a natural run/pass option. 

Overall, the offense is the biggest problem with this Giants team and the primary reason why the record is what it is. By fixing some of these issues–and they do have the resources to do so–the defense can be put in positions to be more aggressive in attacking the ball and potentially forcing turnovers. 

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