Houston Texans vs Giants: Wk 3: Three guys that will destroy Eli Manning
The Houston Texans will take on the New York Giants in their Week 3 matchup. How will the pass rush be? Here are three guys that will destroy Eli Manning.
The Houston Texans have stumbled out of the proverbial gate of the season with an 0-2 start. Having that type of commencement is usually the death knell for any given team considering the little margin for error in such a finite amount of games in the NFL season.
However, it’s far from over for the Houston Texans as the next four teams that they face — the New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills — have a combined 2-6 record through the first two weeks of this season.
If there’s any reason for the Houston Texans to take advantage of this unique opportunity that they have now, it’s definitely warranted as they could look at themselves winning four straight and boasting a 4-2 record before they face the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road Oct. 21.
On paper, the feat is quite attainable for this team but as we’ve seen over the past two weeks, they’re having a struggle trying to execute the game plan, whatever that may be. Hell, I try to figure out from time-to-time what the hell is Bill O’Brien doing. I know his playbook is a massive concoction of strategy but it’s just a matter of getting it to a point to where players can understand it fully.
Deshaun Watson seems to have a grasp of it but I think he’s just learning what to do in situations that aren’t scripted which was certainly the case against the Tennessee Titans this past Sunday. The Houston Texans were down 20-17 and he let those precious final seconds tick away off the clock as he had trouble deciding what he wanted to do with the football when an obvious strike downfield was needed.
Just based off the eight starts that he’s had — he’s still considered a rookie and I’d treat that play as such. Yes, he’s won a college championship but the pro-level is a whole different animal and he is going to have a few problems dealing with the transition. Nonetheless, I think he will succeed more often than not.
But by the way, Eli Manning has taken a serious beating this season with one of the worst offensive lines in football protecting him.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the Giants are ranked 29th in pass blocking (62.9), that’s three spots above the Texans (64.0).
Manning has been sacked eight times this season with six of those being against the Cowboys last week. I think he’s going to have just as terrible of an outing against the Houston Texans and it will be a heck on an effort for him to stay upright.
Without further adieu, here are three guys that I think are bound to destroy Manning in this week’s matchup. Let’s take a look.