It took until the sixth series of the night for Eli Manning and his offensive mates to accomplish something they could be proud to claim as their own. Before Manning fired a 15-yard touchdown pass to Rueben Randle with five seconds remaining in the first half, there was far more bad than good, and that has to concern the Giants as the real season draws nearer.
Of all the problems that stained the 2013 season, a shoddy offensive line topped the list and, despite a spate of changes designed to remedy the situation, the line continues to look like a weak link. Too much pressure allowed and too many penalties committed put Manning on the run, which is never a pretty sight. He salvaged his evening by directing a two-minute drill at the end of the second quarter and the 11-play, 91-yard scoring drive was the best he has shown this preseason, allowing coach Tom Coughlin to see something positive in Friday night's 35-24 victory over the Jets at Metlife Stadium.
The Giants are 4-0 in the preseason, but it hardly has been unblemished.
"I thought we started off a little rough,'' Victor Cruz said, "but once were able to get into a rhythm and complete some plays downfield and give Eli some time to make some decisions, we started to get a little bit of our mojo back.''
Manning went 12 of 21 for 139 yards for a quarterback rating of 93.2, with most of his success coming on his final drive (7 of 10, 89 yards). Considering he completed one of his nine passes in the previous two games, this was an improvement. But seven points and one impressive possession are far from enough to infuse anyone around the Giants with confidence they are ready for the season to begin.
"It is good to finish it off with a good two-minute drive,'' Manning said. "That is something that we have been really good at here in the past. We had some decent drives going and then we would do something to set us back. We had a good finish.''
In four preseason games, Manning has directed three touchdown drives in 17 possessions
It looks as if the Giants will need a new left guard for the Sept. 8 opener in Detroit, as Geoff Schwartz was forced out in the second quarter with a dislocated toe. That won't help what has been a very sluggish coming together for the rebuilt offensive line.
Manning completed his first pass of the night, finding Victor Cruz for the first time this summer, for 9 yards. That was about the extent of their offensive momentum. They should have had a big play and very possibly a 55 yard touchdown as Randle, racing down the left sideline, beat cornerback Antonio Allen and waited for the ball to come his way. It never did. Manning was under some pressure from Sheldon Richardson and might not have been able to step up into his throw. The deep ball was underthrown, allowing Allen to recover and make a play on the ball. It was simply a case of Manning not making the throw he needed to make.
The second series was not much better. Manning did roll to his right and complete a 26-yard pass to Randle — the longest completion of the summer for Eli — but on the play right before that, Darrin Walls should have had an interception of a poor throw intended for Randle. The ugliest play of the "drive'' was a sack by Jason Babin — who totally abused left tackle Will Beatty — and a fumble by Manning that was recovered by Schwartz.
The third offensive series was short and sour, a tidy three-and-out, a possession ruined by a 4-yard loss by Rashad Jennings on a tackle by Quinton Coples, who was not blocked at all by tight end Kellen Davis.
Offensive series No. 4 was full of follies. Jennings had a 23-yard run, but Larry Donnell, a starting tight end mostly by default, was called for not one, but two penalties. Manning, on another play, was pressured by Muhammad Wilkerson, who blew by Schwartz.
Series No. 5 was another three-and-out, as Wilkerson sacked Manning for a 14-yard loss and knocked the ball out of Eli's hand and, fortunately for the Giants, out of bounds. Manning and the Giants finally cashed in on the sixth and final possession of the first half, but it was mostly a dismal showing.
The Giants, with their starters in the game, trailed 10-7 at halftime. Ryan Nassib, taking hold of the backup quarterback job, fired a 39-yard touchdown pass to Preston Parker — who looks to have locked up a roster spot — to give the Giants a 21-17 lead in the third quarter.
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