Andrew Thomas takes a snap against the Bengals during his rookie season (wikimedia commons)
There’s no mistake about it — the real cause of the New York Giants’ demise in 2023 has been their offensive line.
The running theme for New York’s struggles came to a head in Sunday’s 31-16 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Quarterback Daniel Jones was sacked six times against Miami’s pass rush, an improvement from the 11 times he was brought down in their previous week’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. The Giants are the first team since 1991 to fail to score an offensive touchdown in the first half through the first five games of the season — another dubious distinction for a team now 1-4 on the year.
Big Blue’s troubles along their offensive line are well-documented, but what is the real cause for the inept play? Is the rash of injuries along the group a simple excuse or is there a bigger problem at hand?
Injuries
It hasn’t just been Jones who has taken a beating over the last few weeks for the Giants. New York has had to deal with several key injuries along their offensive line — a fact that understandably explains the team’s lack of depth at each position.
All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas has missed four straight contests due to a hamstring injury and there are questions as to when he would return. Rookie center John Michael Schmitz is dealing with a shoulder injury that could leave him out for multiple weeks.
With two injuries along the offensive line, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to the reason why Jones has been sacked a league-high 28 times this season. Despite the understanding, if the five-sack-a-game average continues for the rest of the year, Jones would set a new NFL record for sacks in a single season. It’s hard for any group to remain competent when dealing with key injuries every week.
Inept Play
Using an excuse like injuries can only go so far for the Giants. New York has several high picks invested in the…
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