Giants fans shouldn't have expected much more than this.
Over the last decade-plus, the Jekyll-and-Hyde act of the Giants under Eli Manning's reign as QB has been wrought with ups and downs. In 2007 and 2011, they were 6-3 following Week 10. Good things happened in February for the Giants both years, and what do you know? They're 6-3 again following Week 10.
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Now, a quarterback older, wiser and in 2016, just a bit more turnover prone, is still searching for answers for an offensive offense. But still, Giants fans shouldn't have expected much more. After all, Manning does have a career 309-294 touchdown-to-turnover ratio.
The offense is the question mark for the Giants. It's an offense that's supposed to be explosive under head coach Ben McAdoo, and it's been nothing more than bland at best in 2016.
There's no innovation for a team that features a fairly deep receiving corps and one of the preeminent playmakers in the sport. The lack of production showed heading into Monday's game vs. the Bengals — last in rushing yards, middle of the pack in passing TDs and bottom third in total offense. Their six wins have been decided by a total of 21 points. They now have a -2 point differential, and coming into Monday, they ranked 25th in the league in points scored.
But even through the Giants' offensive woes, this team is right where it wants to be at 6-3.
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Remember how bad the Giants were in closing out games in 2015? Well, those days seem to be gone. Landon Collins and the Giants' defense held Andy Dalton in check late in the game on Monday, sacking Dalton twice on back-to-back plays to end any realistic comeback attempt the Bengals might have had in the fourth quarter.
Sure, the Giants' expensive, Hollywood-priced facelift defense has performed much better than their historically bad unit last year. General manager Jerry Reese invested $200 million in the defense, resulting in a unit that has been able to shut the door when it needs to, just like it did on Monday night. But the results were coming, and those results should be expected.
The questions remain on the offensive side of the ball. In that same fourth quarter that was driven by a fierce Giants defense, Manning answered a Landon Collins pick with an interception of his own. The pick was his second of the game, and it swung the momentum back into the Bengals' favor. It was an ill-advised deep ball into triple coverage that looked more like something his crosstown counterpart Ryan Fitzpatrick would toss. Luckily for Eli, he was bailed out by the aforementioned defensive stand.
The rushing game certainly picked up, nearly doubling its per-game average, mostly saved by a big second half. But it was also against a Bengals defense that has been in the bottom five in rushing defense this season. So, who are the Giants, really?
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Maybe it's an unfair question to ask, because as long as they keep winning, no one will question the smoke-and-mirrors Giants' offense.
But if the Giants want to keep their January dreams alive and vivid, it's time for Manning and the offense to wake up.
