Palladino: Lack Of Ground Game Could Kill Giants' Playoff Hopes

By Ernie Palladino
» More Ernie Palladino Columns

Not to paint too rosy a picture, but if the NFL season ended today the Giants would find themselves in a wild card spot.

That's a lot better than the 3-5 Jets' current reality, of course. Just the same, coming out of a bye with a 4-3 record, two games behind the 6-1 NFC East-leading Cowboys, guarantees nothing.

They can still blow this season sky high, even as they compete in what looks increasingly like a one-team race.

Know what would make the outlook a lot brighter?

A running game.

MORE: Keidel: Giants Not Always Pretty But Still In Good Position For Playoff Run

That's something the Giants don't have a hint of right now. They need one desperately, starting Sunday as they try to put the Eagles a game further behind them in the wild card race. The Giants stand at 1-1 in the division, while the Eagles are winless in two division games.

They proved they can get by without a real ground game against the Ravens and Rams the past two games, but those teams are nothing more than middle-of-the-blob squads, equally likely to finish on the bad side of .500 as the good.

With all the money general manager Jerry Reese spent on improving the defense, another playoff season without the Giants would be unacceptable. But Big Blue will have to get at least part way there on the ground, something that isn't happening right now.

A 38-yard team rushing effort may have been sufficient to beat Baltimore, only because the defense kept the game close enough for Odell Beckham's breathtaking 66-yard touchdown catch-and-run to make a difference at the end. And they got away with a 36-yard performance in that 17-10 win over Los Angeles two weeks ago in England only because the defense had a huge day with four interceptions, the first of which safety Landon Collins returned for a touchdown.

The Giants certainly don't want Eli Manning throwing 47 times for 403 yards as he did against Baltimore. Even the 37 attempts he had against the Rams might be a bit much.

Balance is the key here.

But the Giants will never achieve that balance unless they get an effective running game going. And that's not going to happen if their lead rusher, Rashad Jennings, continues at his 2.7-yard per rush pace.

It's no accident, after all, that the Giants rank last in the league in rushing with 70.3 yards per game. Nor is it an accident that Dallas leads the league with a 164.9. Of course, those numbers could drop dramatically if the domestic violence allegations against rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott result in a significant suspension. But the Cowboys certainly wouldn't have gotten this far without the league leader's 114.1-yard per game contribution, despite the fine work rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has produced while sitting in for injured veteran Tony Romo.

The Giants' problem doesn't totally fall on Jennings' shoulders. He may not be Elliott in either age or production, but the offensive line isn't helping him. The run blocking has been so bad that it sparked rumors of a trade for Browns nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas.

As nice a thought as that was, the 4 p.m. trade deadline passed quietly Tuesday, ensuring flawed tackle Ereck Flowers would remain on the left side and raw Bobby Hart on the right.

The remedy, then, might be to give a shiftier running back more work. Jennings is more of a plodder at this point in his career. He's strong enough to bull over the goal line from a yard out, as he did in producing the winning touchdown against the Rams. But he no longer possesses breakaway speed.

Bobby Rainey has looked good at times both running the ball and catching passes out of the backfield. Something positive always seems to happen when Orleans Darkwa steps on the field. Rookie Paul Perkins at least has youth on his side, not to mention the 67-yard screen pass he nearly scored on during the loss to the Vikings some weeks back.

All or one of them could be the answer to a ground game that hasn't produced an individual 100-yard rushing performance since the 170 Jennings had in last year's finale against the Eagles.

If the Giants expect to get to the postseason, part of the route runs on the ground.

Ben McAdoo has had two weeks to figure out how to navigate that twisty terrain.

If he hasn't, the Giants' future might just get lost in the woods.

Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino