Of course they cannot.
The Giants will not do much this season if they struggle to score touchdowns on offense and if they continue to turn over the ball more frequently than do their opponents. The Giants are 2-0, yet are minus-four in turnover ratio, with one interception and three lost fumbles on their ledger and no takeaways by their defense.
What happened in the 16-13 victory over the Saints almost never happens. The Giants did not score an offensive touchdown — the only time they crossed into the end zone was on Janoris Jenkins’ 65-yard return of a blocked field-goal attempt. They lost three fumbles. This is unheard of.
Indeed, the Giants became the fourth team since the 1970 merger to win with no offensive touchdowns and a turnover differential of minus-3 or worse. It last took place on Oct. 16, 2006, when the Bears beat the Cardinals, 24-23, on Monday Night Football, prompting the now-famous rant from the late Dennis Green, lamenting a blown 20-point lead by his Cardinals: “They are who we thought they were! And we let ‘em off the hook!’’
As rare as this victory was for the Giants, it is hardly alarming. Not scoring a touchdown on offense is an anomaly — their passing game is first-rate, despite dropped should-have-been-TDs by Odell Beckham Jr. and Larry Donnell. Their reborn and rebuilt defense is too athletic and active not to start causing turnovers soon. Eli Manning has been careful with the ball — his one interception in 69 pass attempts was the fault of rookie Sterling Shepard — and it is unlikely veterans such as Victor Cruz and Shane Vereen — each lost a fumble against the Saints — will have ball-security issues moving forward.
Other observations after the Giants beat the Saints to move to 2-0:
— Remember when the Giants, in a surprise, took Eli Apple with the No. 10 pick in the NFL Draft? Many believed it was too soon to take Apple. Why would the Giants go for a cornerback when they already had Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie as starters? Well, funny how things work out. Giants coach Ben McAdoo described Apple as “a starting corner for us.’’ Apple did not start against the pass-first Saints, but that is semantics; he played 95 percent of defensive snaps (59 of 62). “We have three starting corners,’’ McAdoo explained.
Jenkins was on the field for 59 snaps as well, but Rodgers-Cromartie played only 39 snaps. “We had certain packages where certain guys go in on certain packages,’’ Rodgers-Cromartie said. “I’m never surprised, it’s part of the game plan. I can’t do nothing about that. I just go out there and play. Can’t let it get to me.’’
Rodgers-Cromartie, 30, wore down during games last season with various ailments. Fewer snaps will keep him fresher. Plus, it is clear there is a changing of the guard at corner, with Apple playing a key role as a rookie. Heck, 31-year old veteran Leon Hall (41 snaps) played a bit more on defense than did Rodgers-Cromartie and contributed with sure tackling and one sack.
— Remember when Devon Kennard, a young linebacker drafted by the Giants capable of making an impact, was viewed as a rarity? It appears Kennard is no more than a situational player this season, a starter in the base defense. He was in for just 10 defensive snaps as coordinator Steve Spagnuolo went with the nickel defense to thwart Drew Brees’ passing game.
“Physical edge setter,’’ McAdoo said of Kennard. “That’s what he does a great job of.’’
Here’s a stunner: Keenan Robinson with 52 snaps (73 percent) played the most of any linebacker, followed by Jonathan Casillas (41 snaps). Robinson has evolved into the nickel linebacker, and his ability to cover in space was evident against the Saints. There was a time when the Giants hoped Kennard could be a three-down linebacker. That is not the case right now.
— Another clear sign that this is matchup defensive football: Damon “Snacks’’ Harrison played only 34 snaps (55 percent). The Saints are not a run-heavy team, and stopping the run is Harrison’s calling card. The Saints were never down by more than one score, yet they threw it 44 times and ran it 13 times (for a paltry 41 yards). This was not a Snacks-centric game.
This season, after two games and fortified via free agency and the NFL Draft, Spagnuolo clearly has a much stronger hand than he did last season. It looks as if he will go on the attack as the coordinator shuffling capable defenders in and out based on their strengths.
— The exploits of Sterling Shepard almost seem pre-determined and not at all surprising. This 22-year old receiver never carried himself like a rookie, not from the moment he arrived as a second-round pick from Oklahoma.
Sure, he is baby-faced, but his aura and comportment are mature and reasoned, always giving off an “I belong here’’ vibe. His teammates adore him, and you can tell how impressed Beckham and Cruz are to get in on the ground floor of Shepard’s NFL development. Everyone has taken notice, which is why when he catches all eight passes thrown to him, for 117 yards, no one is the least bit astonished.
“The kid’s a stud,’’ Casillas said.
— It will be interesting to see if this Will Beatty return is real or imagined. He missed the entire 2015 season due to pectoral and shoulder surgeries and was unsigned in free agency until he asked back in and the Giants obliged. It looks as if Marshall Newhouse is going to be out awhile — he hobbled out of the locker room wearing a gray boot on his right lower leg — because calf injuries are tricky and usually take loads of time to heal. After a solid opener in Dallas, Newhouse did not play well in Game 2, allowing two sacks. The Giants are in need of another starting right tackle, and will choose between Beatty and second-year Bobby Hart. It does not help that Beatty arrived after training camp and has not even been activated in the first two games. If he’s got something to offer, this would be the time.
— This does not happen to the Saints. Not since Sean Payton and Drew Brees arrived in New Orleans in 2006. With that dynamic duo in place, the Saints never, ever lose low-scoring games. The 16-13 loss to the Giants was the first time in the Payton-Brees era that the Saints lost a game when the opponent scored 16 points or fewer. Brees and Payton always find a way to come up with the necessary points. Until they came up against the new-look Giants defense.
— Did you wonder why McAdoo opted to run the clock down to three seconds and then send Josh Brown out for the chip-shot, game-winning field goal on fourth down? Many coaches prefer to make that kick on third down, which allows for a re-do on fourth down in case of a bad snap or hold.
“There was some conversation about it, but I trust the quarterback-center exchange,’’ McAdoo said, before quickly adding, somewhat under his breath, “I’d do it again.’’
Judging from the first two games of his NFL head coaching career, McAdoo does not like to be second-guessed or even questioned about his decision-making.