Giants reportedly saw offensive woes coming before season

It appears not everybody associated with the New York Giants is stunned by the offensive regression the team experienced amid its 1-4 start to the season. 

For a piece published Wednesday, ESPN's Dan Graziano reported that the Giants "seemed a little more worried about how the offense might work than I expected" ahead of the campaign. 

"I think New York believed things were still unsettled at the wide receiver position but hopeful it could lean on (star running back) Saquon Barkley and (tight end) Darren Waller while the offense figured that out," Graziano added. 

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones spent the majority of last season playing behind a weak offensive line and without a true No. 1 wide receiver but nevertheless guided New York to a playoff berth and a road postseason victory en route to earning a new four-year contract. The Giants then acquired weapons such as Waller, along with receivers Parris Campbell and Jalin Hyatt, but things haven't gone as planned heading into the Week 6 game at the Buffalo Bills. 

Barkley hasn't played since he hurt his ankle in Week 2. All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas missed the past four games after he injured his hamstring in the regular-season opener, and the club's offensive line completely fell apart without him. Jones is now dealing with a neck injury for the second time in three years that presumably could sideline him for at least one weekend. 

"...The Giants miscalculated an offensive line that's clearly overmatched right now," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said. "There's no easy fix." 

According to ESPN stats, the Giants enter Week 6 ranked dead last in the NFL with 255.2 total offensive yards per game and 31st with 12.4 points per contest. As of Wednesday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Bills as 14-point favorites to defeat Big Blue in the upcoming "Sunday Night Football" matchup regardless of Jones's status for that evening. 

"If there's a light at the end of the tunnel for the Giants, it's that Barkley and line reinforcements will be back at some point, and the offense will look better," Graziano noted. "What you worry about is the damage already done to the team's confidence (not to mention its win/loss record) in the meantime."

Assuming the damage is, indeed, done, the Giants could become significant sellers before the Oct. 31 trade deadline.