Matt Nagy has given the Giants enough to believe in during the first seven weeks. That much is clear. Even with New York working through its third starting quarterback of the season, the offense has held together as a league-average unit, and a big reason is Nagy’s knack for making life easier on his quarterbacks.
The bye week gives him a chance to go back through the tape and sharpen what this offense is becoming. With J.J.
McCarthy settling into the starting job, the Giants should look different after the break. How much different could matter a lot to whether they keep pace in the playoff race.
What New York has built so far has leaned on two things: a varied rushing attack and a passing game that has funneled through Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely. It hasn’t been an elite operation, but given the circumstances, it has been effective enough.
There are a few clear ways Nagy can push it forward.
One obvious place to start is with heavier personnel. Patrick Ricard has been one of the team’s most effective pieces this season, and when he plays at least 30 snaps, the Giants are 4-0.
New York has also been excellent in 22 personnel and 13 personnel, ranking in the top ten in EPA per play in both groupings. When the Giants have only one receiver on the field, good things tend to happen, which fits a roster that doesn’t have much behind Nabers at wideout.
If this offense is going to have an identity, it should be built around those bigger looks, which help control the tempo and reduce the impact of a thin receiver room.
Another area where Nagy can make a real adjustment is pre-snap motion. Right now, the Giants are using it at the lowest rate in the league, and they’re the only team in the NFL using motion on fewer than half their plays.
That stands out when the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers - the top two offenses in the NFL - are both among the league leaders in motion rate. That movement gives quarterbacks clues about coverage and can create cleaner chances for receivers.
Motion alone won’t fix anything, and Nagy shouldn’t chase it just because successful offenses do it. But adding more of it could make things easier on everyone involved.
The biggest swing, though, may be handing McCarthy more control. If the Giants are going to keep producing on offense, it’s going to be because of him.
He was close to perfect in the win over the Houston Texans, showing timing and touch all over the field. He’s also been dangerous pushing the ball downfield, going 6 of 10 for 215 yards and a touchdown on passes of 20 or more yards this season.
That’s a small sample, but it’s enough to lean into.
McCarthy can also be used more in the run game. He didn’t have a designed rushing attempt against Houston, even though Nagy has shown he can build those plays into the offense - he gave Jaxson Dart some creative runs in Week 1. Adding that element for McCarthy would force defenses to think twice on handoffs and could open things up for Cam Skattebo.
Nagy has done a lot right already. The next step is figuring out what to keep, what to cut, and how to make the second half even better.
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Giants May Have One Real Edge In The Jonathan Taylor Chase
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That matters because the clock is ticking, and the market for a proven runner is unlikely to stay quiet for long. John Harbaugh has also built a reputation for pushing aggressively on trades, which suggests the Giants could keep pressing if Taylor remains available. For now, the question is less about whether New York is interested and more about whether it can turn that interest into the kind of move that changes the conversation around its offense. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Skattebos Punishment Just Sparked A Bigger Giants Debate
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The league also fined seven other players for similar violations without in-game penalties, which only adds another layer to the debate around how these calls are being enforced. For the Giants, the bigger question is how much they want to lean into Skattebos aggressive edge, and how much they can afford to let it keep putting him in the leagues crosshairs. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Schoen Defends Why Jameis Winston Still Matters To Giants
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For a Giants roster trying to steady itself through a long season, that kind of presence matters. Schoen pointed to Winstons leadership and the way he has helped the team in the locker room and around games, a reminder that backup quarterbacks can shape a season in ways that never show up neatly in the box score. [Read more 🡒]