EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- This New York Giants season has been littered with previously unthinkable moments, losses, problems and dramas. That is the only way it goes when you shift from potential Super Bowl contender to 2-8 mess.
This Giants season has been wild, or wildly frustrating, depending on your perspective. It has also spawned some narratives that, well, just aren't quite accurate.
Let's address those ...
The KC win is a sign of things to come
The Giants have six games remaining, including Thursday night in Washington. Their ceiling appears to be to win a few games here or there and be competitive. Given the state of their current roster, they're not all of a sudden going to win four of six to finish the season resembling the team that made the playoffs last year.
There is a reason the Giants are 7-point underdogs on Thanksgiving. They don't have Odell Beckham Jr. or Brandon Marshall and possibly will be without Sterling Shepard. They're without offensive linemen Justin Pugh, Weston Richburg and D.J. Fluker. What we've learned this season is that quarterback Eli Manning isn't good enough to carry this group on his shoulders. They are averaging 15.3 points through 10 games and haven't topped 24 points yet this year.
Why is that all of a sudden going to change?
They need a total rebuild
This season is lost. That became obvious in Week 4 when they were still winless. It is almost impossible to rally from that type of hole, and the Giants only dug themselves an even deeper ditch.
Burn it down! Fire everybody! Start over! Those have been popular opinions as this season has progressed.
But the Giants don't need to start over. They have some building blocks.
Beckham, Shepard and rookie tight end Evan Engram give them something to work with on offense. Defensive end Olivier Vernon, defensive tackle Damon Harrison, cornerback Janoris Jenkins and safety Landon Collins are quality pieces on defense. Whoever the general manager and coach are next year just need to find the right culture and pieces to put around them. Whatever the people in those positions did this year clearly didn't work.
Still, while the Giants aren't in complete rebuild mode, they're going to soon need a new franchise quarterback. Whether or not that is Davis Webb or a first-round draft pick this year is still to be determined.
The Giants running game stinks
They are 26th in rushing. That looks bad, at only 92.0 yards per game. But ever since Fluker entered the lineup in Week 4, the Giants are averaging 110.6 yards per game on the ground, with a healthy 4.2 yards per carry. That ranks them 14th during that span.
The offensive line has improved and Orleans Darkwa has proven to be a reliable option. He has an ability to fall forward and make yards even when they're not there. He consistently gets yards after contact. Darkwa is seventh in the NFL at 4.84 yards per carry.
The Giants running game is no longer one of the league's worst. It's middle of the pack.
Ereck Flowers is improving ... so the Giants are fine at left tackle
Let's not get carried away. Flowers has improved and has played better in recent weeks. He hasn't allowed a sack since Week 2 and has eliminated the penalties. He's been flagged just three times this season, compared to 13 times last year.
But Flowers still isn't an especially good run blocker and remains overmatched when facing quality pass-rushers. He's ranked 52nd among offensive tackles by Pro Football Focus, and the Giants offense still tries to work around his pass-blocking limitations. Manning is getting rid of the ball in an average of 2.37 seconds this season, second-fastest in the league behind Oakland's Derek Carr, in large part because of concerns off the edge.
While Flowers is no longer a complete liability, he's still below-average at a position the Giants desperately need to upgrade this offseason.
The Giants have no playmakers
This isn't true when Shepard is on the field. He and Engram give the Giants two quality targets in the pass game. Running back Shane Vereen (although he hasn't been targeted much this year) has proven throughout his career to be a decent option out of the backfield. And Darkwa has run the ball well.
This isn't a great group. It would look exponentially better with Beckham in the mix. But it's also not terrible. As currently composed, it's better than or comparable to more than a few teams (Panthers, Jaguars, Bears, Jets, Seahawks, Bills, 49ers, Ravens, Browns, Colts). This shouldn't be a 16-points-per-game group with a proven, quality quarterback.
The quarterback isn't the problem
He may not be the problem. But he's part of the problem. In an ideal world, where he didn't face pressure and had a top-notch running game, Manning might be able to thrive. He can still play. But even with an improved running game and offensive line that has become serviceable as the season progressed, Manning is unable to make enough plays to get this offense putting significant points on the board.
C.J. Beathard and the 49ers scored over 30 points against the Giants in a game in which everything went right for them. Russell Wilson, with a mediocre running game (at best), an offensive line that might be worse than the Giants' and decent weapons, has topped 30 points in a game three times already this season.
Meanwhile, Manning and the Giants haven't done it in almost two years. Coaching undoubtedly plays heavily into the equation, but to completely absolve the quarterback is irresponsible. He's part of the problem. He's needs to be able to make more plays.