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NFL New York Giants

Offense Lets New York Giants Down vs. San Francisco 49ers In Week 11

By @teapester725

Eli Manning Giants vs San Francisco 49ers

NJ Advance Media for NJ.com-USA TODAY Sports

Wins have been tough to come by for the New York Giants in 2014. Poor defense has been the culprit for the most part during this five-game losing streak, as they would have trouble stopping a cold at this point. Against the San Francisco 49ers, the Giants’ defense looked to be in trouble once again with a team that excels at running the read-option. The Giants’ defense stepped up big time, but the offense was unable to get over the hump and let the team down on Sunday.

The first thing that stands out was the play of Eli Manning. Manning has been great all season with ball security, throwing only six interceptions over the first nine games of the season. But against the 49ers, Manning imploded as he tossed five picks. Some were not his fault, but there were a couple of mind-boggling decisions made by Manning, as he showed little regard for ball security, making a number of questionable throws. In a couple of instances, Manning didn’t even seem to see the 49ers’ defender as a couple of the passes were thrown right into their numbers.

The reason for a couple of the interceptions was wide receiver Rueben Randle. Randle and Manning once again had miscommunications. The wideout looked to run the wrong route on at least one pick, as Manning could be seen throwing his hands up in the air in the background. The miscommunications between Manning and Randle have been occurring for a while now, and that is something that needs to be worked on as it holds the offense back as a whole.

Rashad Jennings‘ return was expected to give the offense a bit of a jump-start, but he did not have the impact the Giants had hoped. He ran for only 59 yards on 18 carries, as he struggled to hit the right hole and looked to be working off some rust, which is to be expected. The run game just never got going, as the Giants averaged only 3.1 yards per carry on the afternoon.

The Giants also didn’t take advantage of the opportunities given to them, as they went 1-for-3 in the red zone. The worst came on the last real drive of the game the Giants had. After Odell Beckham Jr. made a circus catch on the sidelines, the Giants were in business at the four-yard line. They didn’t get it into the end zone after lining up in shotgun for four plays, throwing fades on the first three and a Manning interception off a deflection on fourth down. The Giants didn’t really give themselves a legitimate chance to score running single routes such as the fades.

With how poorly the defense has performed recently and throughout the season, the Giants cannot afford to not capitalize on performances like the one they gave today. The Giants’ defense continually stopped the 49ers’ offense, but the offense couldn’t get it together. Sure, the defense had a lapse or two, but they were far from the reason the Giants lost their fifth straight game.

Kenneth Teape is a New York Giants writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @teapester725 or join his Google network

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