The New York Giants offense displayed much-needed improvement in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders, and right at the heart of that improvement was the unit’s offensive line.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was sacked only once and was hit four times. Through two games, Jones has been responsible for 37% of the pressures he’s faced, the second-highest percentage in the league behind Carolina quarterback Bryce Young, who was benched this week.
In the running game, Devin Singletary has averaged 3.57 yards after contact, ninth most among running backs with at least 25 rushing attempts. Singletary’s 5.1 rushing yards per attempt is also tied for sixth best in the league among that same simple group (25 running backs total).
Some of the credit for that goes to the Giants’ offensive line.
"I thought our O-line did a really nice job of kind of getting a hat for a hat, working some nice double teams,” assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike KAfka said this week.
“Our running backs were trusting the holes and hitting them. (running back Devin Singletary) Motor, there's some really good examples of him just trusting and then making some things happen, across the line of scrimmage as well. I thought we were efficient; he averaged almost six yards a carry and did a nice job there."
Arguably the biggest issue that needed to be addressed heading into the offseason was the offensive line General manager Joe Schoen brought in veterans Jon Runyan, Jr. Jermaine Eluemunor and Greg Van Roten to revamp the unit.
The unsung hero is new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo, who successfully transformed the Raiders unit over the previous two seasons.
"I think it starts with (Offensive Line Coach Carmen Bricillo) Carm and (Assistant Offensive Line Coach) James (Ferentz), those guys kind of leading the room in there and making sure they're all on the same page, kind of seeing it through the same set of eyes,” Kafka said.
“And (center John Michael Schmitz Jr.) JMS, taking control of that and IDing these things the right way. And it's been great to have the veteran guys in there that have played a lot of ball and played ball in this system before. So those guys have been really, really positive. And they're all working together. You can see that on the practice field. You see it in the meeting rooms when they're talking. And so, I think just continuing to work with that core group and it's been good to have some continuity there. So, those guys are doing a really good job."
The offensive line's run blocking improved tremendously from Week 1 to 2, but it's their pass blocking that has opened eyes. Allowing Jones ample time in the pocket to get the ball to his playmakers gave a glimpse into what the Giants offense could look like going forward.
The Giants are facing the Browns this Sunday, which boast one of the best defensive fronts in the league, led by star pass rusher Myles Garrett. They have an overall well-rounded unit on defense, including a stellar secondary that includes cornerbacks Greg Newsome II and Denzel Ward.
This will be a tough challenge for the Giants, as the Browns are tied for fifth in the league for most sacks (7). Keeping Jones upright will be a top priority for the unit, who looks to show doubters that the first two weeks weren’t a fluke.
