The New York Giants have won four of their last five games under first-year head coach Pat Shurmur and they will look to keep the momentum rolling through the remainder of the 2018 regular season — and possibly the postseason if everything breaks in their favor.
The Giants have been a completely different team since their Week 9 bye week. Before the break, the Giants had a 1-7 record, they averaged 18.8 points per game, 77.9 rushing yards per game, and had committed 11 turnovers. After the bye week, the Giants have gone 4-1 while averaging 31.4 points per game, 150.8 rushing yards per game, and they committed just three turnovers.
The catalyst for the Giants recent success is their commitment to the run game and to sensational rookie running back Saquon Barkley as the focal point. The all-time rookie records Barkley has already broken or has a chance to break in these next three weeks cannot be counted on one hand. We highlighted 10 that stood out the most to us so far.
The Giants offensive success is not just due to Barkley turning his game up in the second half. The offensive line has drastically improved since the bye week. Through the first eight games of the season, the Giants allowed the second-most total quarterback pressures in the NFL (144). Over the last five games, they’ve allowed just 45 quarterback pressures — the sixth-fewest.
Quarterback Eli Manning has also stepped up his level of play. Over the last five games, Manning has completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 1,083 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 108 quarterback rating.
Earlier this week, Shurmur joined WFAN Radio host Mike Francesa and he opened up about the state of the Giants franchise as of Week 15. We’ve got all the key highlights below.
