
A lot has gone wrong for the New York Giants over the last couple of weeks, but there has been one positive: a consistent improvement in the offensive line.
Since left tackle Andrew Thomas returned to a full-time role, the line has been the strength of the Giants' offense. Injuries and inconsistency have ravaged the offense as a whole; however, the offensive line has steadily improved.
The line’s consistent improvement, as well as their strong play against Chicago, has earned them recognition from Pro Football Focus in their Weekly offensive line rankings. The Giants' offensive line moved up three spots in PFF's rankings, checking in at No. 11 overall.
The rise in the rankings was largely due to their strong performance in Week 10. The Giants' offensive line held the Bears to just seven overall pressures and one sack in 43 dropbacks, earning the team a 90.7 PFF pass blocking grade, good for third overall in Week 10.
The offensive line's becoming a strength has been a surprise for the Giants. PFF analyst Zoltán Buday believes that it is in large part due to the strong play of right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, who has earned an 84.9 PFF pass-blocking grade since Week 6, which leads all players at the position over that period, according to Buday.
Week 11 against Green Bay presents a tough challenge for a Giants squad dealing with changes across the board. The offensive line continuing to play at a high level could help alleviate any issues that come with an interim head coach and a backup quarterback making their debuts.
The Packers have been relatively successful at attacking opposing quarterbacks this season, currently 13th in the league with 22 sacks.
Although middle of the league in overall sack production, they have a talented duo in Micah Parsons and Rashan Gary that could frustrate Jameis Winston in his first start of the season.
Ahead of the Packers in the overall sack rankings are the Broncos and Chargers, two teams the Giants have played previously this season and saw successful performances from their offensive line.
While keeping Winston protected will be important this weekend, the line's run-blocking will be equally important if the Giants' offense looks to find a spark and potentially upset the Packers.
Green Bay currently has the fifth-ranked rushing defense in the NFL, and they have allowed only one opposing running back to rush for 100 yards against them this season.
Whether it’s the Packers' pass rush or run defense, they will be bringing a challenge to a Giants offensive line that has been performing well as of late. It won’t be the first challenge of the season for the O-line, but it will be something to monitor during game one of the Kafka era on Sunday.
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