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Monday Morning Manning: Week 7

By: Marco Imperati @MGiants11

The Giants return from London with a 17-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams. The win and two game winning streak takes the giants to a winning record of 4-3.  Like every game the GMen have played in this year, this game did not come without a costly penalty and turnover.  Eli Manning finished with a stat line of 24-37, 196 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 turnovers. Simply put, the Giants offense continues to struggle. Had it not been for the defense breaking out of their turnover slump, the Giants could have gone home with a loss.

Actually, safety Landon Collins looked like the best offensive weapon that the team has when he was returning his interception for a touchdown. I credit this team for working so hard to get back to the running game. They show a commitment and a want in establishing it, however it is just not there at this point. If they can sneak out a few more wins and show the ability to keep the turnovers down in close games, the running game will improve as the year goes on. I believe that is affecting Eli Manning and his wide receivers more than anything else. Oh yeah, it would be nice if our starting tight end Larry Donnell could play like a starting tight end. Good job staying on your feet, Larry. But please, hang on to the ball!

Keep an eye on: The attention after the bye, and rightfully so, should be how the Giants establish a running game going forward. If the Giants are to make any type of postseason run, it will only come with the run setting up the passing game. My belief is you will truly see OBJ, Shepard, and Cruz flourish if defenses have to respect the run. Look for rookie Paul Perkins role to expand. He’s flashing pretty well. The most difficult aspect for Perkins to pick up is protecting the quarterback. If he can keep Eli upright, he will very much be in the game plan and could be an X factor.

Up Next: Next week is a much-needed bye week. After the first half of the season, the Giants should be thankful they battled back to a 4-3 record. Of all the games this season, they will continue to think about the missed opportunities in the Redskins home game. The division is off to a hot start. Dallas continues to cruise with their mistake free defense and punishing running game.

Overlooked in the off-season, Philadelphia’s defense continues to force turnovers and make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks. The Redskins are very much in contention after beating the Giants in week 3 and quarterback Kirk Cousins battling back from his early season struggles. The Giants return back in Week 9 in a huge NFC East division game vs the Eagles. With the division as close at it is, every game is important.