The New York Giants are officially on a winning streak after beating

the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-35 Sunday afternoon. And after the New Orleans Saints dismantled the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday evening Kyle Lauletta Color Rush Jersey , the Giants are suddenly in danger of being able to claw their way out of the basement of the NFC East. Their odds of grinding out enough wins to claim the division crown and a spot in the playoffs are still exceedingly slim, but they might still have a chance at meaningful football. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the in-depth stats and snap counts and see what they can tell us about the Giant’s highest scoring game since 2015.OffenseQuarterback The most shocking stat line of the game came courtesy of Eli Manning, who completed 17-of-18 (94.4 percent) 231 yards (12.8 yards per attempt), and 2 touchdowns. This was probably the most efficient, if not objectively “best,” game of Eli Manning’s career. Manning’s completion percentage was simply through the roof, and a full 27.4 points better than his expected completion percentage of 67 percent (per Next Gen Stats). His yards per attempt was similarly fantastic, but it was also set up by some great run-after-the catch by the Giants’ receivers. We can credit him for some of that as well, as yards after the catch are generally a result of scheme (creating opportunities through route combinations or exploiting weaknesses in coverage), ball placement from quarterbacks setting up receivers to take advantage of the scheme, and then the individual efforts of the receivers (route running and making defenders miss). Generally speaking, Manning did a pretty good job of attacking all areas of the field and spreading the ball around. Manning targeted nine different receiving options, and every player targeted caught passes. Even his lone incompletion appeared to be a catchable pass thrown away from the closing safety, but Saquon Barkley looked to lose track of the ball and turned the wrong way.However, Manning still only had 7.6 intended air yards and his average throw was 1.6 yards behind the first down marker, suggesting that despite the yards per attempt, the Giants’ passing game remains conservative. That is disappointing, considering the Buccaneers field one of the worst secondaries in the NFL (and were missing a starter to boot). The Giants (from the top down, not just Manning) have proven singularly unwilling to challenge weak secondaries, and it has held the offense back.Offensive line The Giants’ offensive line was something of a mixed bag. Their run blocking certainly improved, particularly between the tackles thanks to some terrific blocking by Will Hernandez. Hernandez made key blocks to facilitate Saquon Barkley’s “dirty yards” up the middle.The Giants’ pass protection was ... Weird. Manning was able to hold the ball for a respectable average of 3.1 seconds before throwing (per Next Gen Stats). However, he was also sacked four times (bringing the season total up to 35) while also getting hit five more times on just 22 passing plays. So while the pass protection was very good when it was good, a pressure rate of 41 percent with a sack rate of 18 percent is scary-bad. Skill positionsThis game was the Saquon Barkley show. Barkley played 47 of the Giants’ 53 offensive plays (89 percent), running the ball 27 times for 142 yards (5.3 yards per carry) and a pair of touchdowns. This was easily the best day on the ground of Barkley’s young career. Encouragingly, he only had one negative run as the Giants’ offensive line generally kept the Buccaneers from meeting him in the backfield. And while he did find success running upthe middle, his best runs were still off-target and the result of his individual effort. Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard each played 46 snaps (87 percent). Beckham was targeted on just four passes, while Shepard was targeted twice. Beckham also added an 11 yard rush to his production, which started with a 41-yard reception. Evan Engram was once again largely ignored by the offense until late in the fourth quarter, played just 17 snaps and was targeted twice. That puts him a snap behind Scott Simonson who had 18 snaps, and 23 snaps behind Rhett Ellison who had 40.Engram made his mark, however, with a fantastic catch and run for 54 yards on a seam route. Engram has been the Giants’ secret weapon in the fourth quarter, getting them chunk yardage to put them in position to score at the end of games. In light of that, it is mystifying that Pat Shurmur doesn’t use him earlier in the game so the team doesn’t need late-game heroics. It worked out for the Giants, but it is confusing that they could look at their offense through the first 10 games and the Buccaneers’ defense (featuring a talented defensive line and horrific secondary) and decide that leaning on the run game was their best option for winning. DefenseFront sevenOnce again, linebacker Alec Ogletree lead the way by playing all of the Giants’ 71 defensive snaps. That was a full 17 more than Olivier Vernon who played the next most snaps at 53. Vernon didn’t have a great game, failing to record a tackle or QB hit, but extended a Buccaneers’ drive with three consecutive penalties.Interestingly, B.J. Hill was third among the front seven players with 50 snaps, while Lorenzo Carter checked in at 42 snaps at defensive end and linebacker. Dalvin Tomlinson was close behind with 40 snaps.Fellow EDGE Kareem Martin played 27 snaps (38 percent), but was the Giants’ most productive defender, with seven total tackles Alec Ogletree Color Rush Jersey , two tackles for a loss, a sack, and a quarterback hit. Defensive linemen Josh Mauro and Mario Edwards Jr. were close behind with 26 snaps. Wrapping things up, B.J. Goodson had 21 snaps, Connor Barwin had 17 snaps, and Kerry Wynn had 14 snaps.The Giants were able to get pressure on the Buccaneers’ quarterbacks and constrict their pocket.SecondaryCornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and B.W. Webb played every one of the defense’s 71 snaps, while free safety Curtis Riley played 70 and strong safety Landon Collins had 65, but lead the Giants with 11 tackles.Among the Giants’ backups, slot CB Grant Haley had 48 snaps (68 percent), strong safety Michael Thomas had 23 snaps, and FS Sean Chandler had 10 snaps. Thomas had a good game in his limited action, finishing with a tackle, two passes defensed, and an interception. All told, the Giants’ coverage was tight, with only Mike Evans averaging more than league-average separation. The Giants managed to come up with four interceptions, though they also could have had another, only for two tip-drills on the same drive to bounce off a half-dozen hands to fall harmlessly incomplete. They also came up with eight passes defensed on a combined 37 passing attempts (21 percent), which is solid work as well.Unfortunately, despite the plays made by the secondary, they also let Ryan Fitzpatrick complete 61.9 percent of his passes and Jameis Winston complete 75 percent.The Giants will need to tighten up their coverage before facing the Philadelphia Eagles next week. Ever since the Giants 2018 season ended, there have been any number of opinions put forth regarding what went wrong. While many will look at the final record as being the biggest indicator of just how “far” the Giants as a franchise progresses from year to year, which is the bottom line, digging below the surface of some popular myths outlined below reveals a whole other layer which can help clarify just exactly how far the Giants may or may not have come. The Giants “built” the team around Eli ManningOn the surface it might look that way given all the resources the Giants put toward the offense vs. the defense in 2018.But that’s also an incorrect assumption unless you happen to believe that the talent that was “built around Manning” can’t also help Manning’s successor. Seriously, does anyone think the Giants are going to dump guard Will Hernandez, running back Saquon Barkley, left tackle Nate Solder, and newly re-signed receiver Odell Beckham Jr. once Manning rides off into the sunset? By building up the offense now, they’re not just trying to help Manning, they are also trying to create an environment where when the next franchise quarterback comes along, he’ll have a world of experience and talent around him combined with a head coach who is known for being able to adapt his offensive system to the strengths of the quarterback.The Giants didn’t improve from last yearThe Giants 5-11 record would certainly support this belief, as after all, the league is a results-oriented business. The record, though, is only part of the equation.The 2017 Giants had, for what it’s worth, hit rock bottom not just in terms of their 3-13 record, but in terms of the culture. I’m even reluctant to refer to that group as a “team” given the tension that existed in the locker room combined with the total breakdown of leadership from the coaching staff.A former member of the 2007 Super Bowl championship team once offered a wonderful summary of why that team came together despite not being one of the most talented in the league at the time.He said, “We have 53 guys and over a dozen coaches all taking the same bus home at night.”When it came to the 2017 team, you had anything but cohesiveness; rather it was a group of individuals and coaches all of whom never got on the same page — and it showed in the product on the field.Enter 2018. Shurmur and Gettleman both made a strong effort to ensure that all 53 players and members of the coaching staff were on the same bus going home at night. As a result, there was no in-fighting, no quit in the locker room, even when the season was Jonathan Stewart Color Rush Jersey , in retrospect, lost under the weight of a 1-7 start. Some skeptics will point to the Cleveland Browns and lament how that franchise finished with a better record (7-8-1) than the Giants (5-11). There’s no question that the Browns appear to finally be on the upswing and yes, they snagged their franchise quarterback in 2018. But they also did a better job in building up a defense that, among other things, finished seventh in third-down conversions allowed (the Giants were 26th); third in forced fumbles (the Giants were 20th); and 22nd in sacks (the Giants were 30th).To be fair, the Giants were at a little bit of a disadvantage when it came to rebuilding the roster. While Gettleman knew he had to sweep out the dead weight — that part was easy to identify — where he was at a disadvantage was that the Giants didn’t have a full coaching staff in place until around mid-February.That meant that any evaluations he had done were based on what he knew and not necessarily on what the coaching staff was looking for in terms of scheme fit, specifically on defense, which Gettleman, who both with the Giants and with the Panthers was part of franchises who predominantly played a 4-3 defense, admitted created a bit of a guessing game for him.“Last year was not easy because we’re moving to that 3-4 look – that type of 3-4 that (defensive coordinator) Jimmy (Bettcher) wants to play,” Gettleman said. “There’re different style players on it, and you can’t fit a square peg in a round hole. We have a better understanding of what the coaches are looking for.”So yes, the Giants won-loss record wasn’t much better than 2017, but to suggest that this team isn’t headed in the right direction is a short-sighted take that glosses over the circumstances. If, however, the Giants finish with another 5-11 (or worse) record next season that’s not driven by major injuries across the landscape, then it becomes fair to question whether Gettleman is the right man to fix this franchise.One other thought on this point. Gettleman has caught some flak from the fan base for being optimistic (or dishonest, depending on your viewpoint) because he didn’t immediately declare that the team was in a rebuild mode. Actions speak louder than words. Given that he turned over more than 60 percent of the roster, should there have been any question as to what he really thought about the team he inherited and the direction it needed to take? Eli Manning the constant in the Giants strugglesTo be crystal clear, Manning most definitely could have played better — everyone on a 5-11 team could have.And while one could argue that Manning has been the lone constant in the team’s decline from a Super Bowl champion to a pitiful mess, that argument doesn’t fully consider the repeated failure of the front office to fix the offensive line or to put a solid running game on the field, both areas that have also been a consistent issue on offense. Say what you want about Manning being a statute (he’s not a statue, though no one is going to mistake him for the second coming of Fran Tarkenton), but the bottom line is that no matter who the quarterback is, he is going to need a strong supporting cast around him. Yes, a mobile quarterback might extend plays with his legs, but if receivers don’t catch the ball, if the running game isn’t there to draw an extra defender into the box and create one-on-one matchups for the receivers, and if an offensive line is going to spring random, multiple leaks on every play, that quarterback isn’t going to be able to get much done by himself.While some view Manning’s lack of mobility as a detriment, it’s also played a big role in his avoiding serious injury over the years. And isn’t it ironic that the one thing the majority of people have agreed on is that if something were to happen to Manning that the Giants season likely would be over anyway?There is no disputing that the Giants need to get the next franchise quarterback on this roster sooner than later as Manning cannot play forever. In terms of timing, I still believe that won’t happen until 2020, at which point the Giants are likely to follow a blueprint similar to what the Chiefs did with Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes — a blueprint that also included upgrading the talent on both the offense and the defensive sides of the ball. Eli Manning only beat backup quarterbacksFour out of five of the Giants’ wins this season came against backup quarterbacks, but let’s make something clear: the quarterback faces the opposing team’s defense, not the other team’s quarterback.So let’s look at the defenses Manning and the Giants offense beat this year and where those defenses ranked in some key statistical categories.(The number in parenthesis represents where that defense finished in the league rankings at the end of the 2018 NFL regular season.)Giants vs. Opposing DefensesTeam DefenseAvg. Points Allowed Avg. Rushing Yards/Game Avg. Passing Yards/Game Sacks Team DefenseAvg. Points Allowed Avg. Rushing Yards/Game Avg. Passing Yards/Game Sacks The Giants beat two playoff bound offenses that finished in the top-10 league wide in the major playoff categories. A year ago, who knows if they pull that accomplishment off? So to say the Giants didn’t improve from 2017 to 2018 even with all their issues as previously noted, is not a fair analysis. Also worth noting — the Giants averaged 103.1 rushing yards per game--better than what both Houston and Chicago allowed per game; New York’s 23.1 points per game also exceeded the average points per game allowed by three of the teams they beat.The Giants offense shouldn’t be given a pass for the team’s won-loss record, but the numbers in the above table would contradict the narrative that the Giants offense only beat backup quarterbacks. Now let’s flip the numbers and see what the opposing offenses did against the Giants defense. Giants Defenses vs. Opposing OffensesTeam OffenseAvg. Points Scored Avg. Rushing Yards/Game Avg. Passing Yards/Game Sacks AllowedTeam OffenseAvg. Points Scored Avg. Rushing Yards/Game Avg. Passing Yards/Game Sacks AllowedFour of the five teams ranked in the top half of the league for sacks allowed. Four of the five teams the Giants beat also ranked at or near the bottom half of the league in average passing yards per game; three ranked in the bottom half of the league in average rushing yards per game; and two ranked in the bottom third of the league in average points scored per game.Overall it’s not major progress but considering that it took years for the decisions made by the prior management regime that ruined this franchise, it’s going to take more than one year to rebuild it.