Eli Manning could have a big game against Tampa Bay's secondary. ( Doug Benc/Getty Images)
If there are reasons to be concerned about this game, the run defense certainly is one of them. Last week, the Cowboys gashed the Giants for 220 yards rushing and it seemed like defenders either missed tackles or were out of position for the entire second half. Hopefully the missed tackling was just due to the Giants players not staying in their gaps or over-pursuing the rusher, because those are correctable mistakes. However, if the defense was overrun because of bad play calling or the loss of Justin Tuck, it could problematic because Tampa Bay can run the ball very effectively. And Justin Tuck will not be playing this week.
Leading Tampa’s rushing attack are Cadillac Williams, former Giant Derrick Ward, and Earnest Graham. While the trio only produced 57 rushing yards last week against Buffalo, they rushed for 174 yards the week before against Dallas.
Not helping the Giants is the fact that they will have to go another game without defensive tackle Chris Canty who is a strong defender against the run.
Making matters worse, the G-Men will also be without starting safety Kenny Phillips for the rest of the season due to a knee injury. Phillips will be replaced by CC Brown, who did not look well in the preseason.
However, referring to the loss, Defensive Coordinator Bill Sheridan was confident that someone else from his group would step up, “Whatever guy is playing whatever position we expect a certain thing out of them, regardless of who they are.”
Despite the Giants defense starting to look like a M.A.S.H. unit, if they can manage to contain the Bucs ground game, the offense could have a shot at overpowering Tampa Bay with a strong aerial attack and win the game.
Tampa’s defense also ranks second in the league for yards allowed and points given up, with 900 yards and 67 points in the first two games alone.
Against a much tougher Cowboys secondary, Eli Manning was 25 of 38 and threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns. Manning got into a groove with youngsters Steve Smith and Mario Manningham, both of whom caught passes for 134 yards and 150 yards, respectively.
In last week’s game versus the Bucs, Buffalo’s Trent Edwards was 21 of 31 for 230 yards passing and two scores. Edwards is a good quarterback but not on the same level as Manning. Against a woeful Tampa Bay secondary, Eli should be able to do the same if not better.
Once he gets his team rolling downfield though, Manning must ensure that his team scores in the redzone. Moving the ball has been no problem for the Giants. But scoring touchdowns has been.
Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride is aware of the issue, “It is just like anything else, you work so hard to position to yourself. We have gotten in there [redzone] and been in great shape and not capitalized on it. So it has been very disappointing.”
New York gained notoriety last season for redzone inefficiency and was among the worst culprits in the NFL. Especially now that the team is dealing with so many injuries within the defense, the offense must start scoring touchdowns and stop settling for field goals. Failing to do so will place too much pressure on the defense and could wear them down even further as the season progresses.
For the Giants to win this game, they must match Tampa Bay’s intensity. The Bucs are 0–2 and playing at home. They will have a chip on their shoulder, as will Derrick Ward facing his former team. If the Giants defense cannot slow down the Bucs ground game and tackle much better than they did against the Cowboys, it might be a long day. On the other side of the ball, Eli Manning and the offense must capitalize against Tampa’s weakened secondary and break out of their redonze funk.
