The Giants have allowed 13.4 ppg in the last 5 games, all against teams ranked in the top 15 in points (GB #1, ATL #7, SF #11, NYJ #13, DAL #15). Including shutting out Atlanta, who were the 7th highest scoring team in the NFL, and holding the NFL's highest scoring offense, Green Bay, to 20 (while dropping 37 on their defense similarly ranked to the Pats). They've also sacked their opponents 20 times and forced 11 turnovers in those 5 games.
Are you a really going to let their season averages dictate how you evaluate their defense?
Get up from the keyboard and watch the games. The Giants are knocking people in the dirt right now.
Aren't you being hypocritical by doing exactly just that? I have watched every game played. It just so happens what I see, is also backed up by numbers. I also posted playoff stats, did you miss them?
The Patriots were more efficient in their 2 wins over their opponents than the Giants were. I think when I stated the more efficient offense is 10-0 in the playoffs, this year, that pretty much settles that argument. I'm not sure what other stat you can find that correlates better than 100% to winning. It's been 100% true!
I don't really care about individual, situational stats. They matter little compared to overall team rankings. I don't care and neither should you if the Giants are better in defensive line, but the Patriots are better in yards gained on 2nd down or some other meaningless comparison.
Who has been more efficient OVERALL? Who has been better in outscoring their opponents?
And the other part ....it's absolutely laughable to actually sit there and say the Giants shut down Atlanta. Atlanta's offensive efficiency rating was of 123.5 ypp for that game. The Rams, worst team in the NFL in efficiency, have an offensive efficiency rating of 23.5. Not even the best defense money can buy can do that to even an average offense. Only the team's own offense can make themselves that inefficient. Atlanta self imploded.
You can take the all the all Pro Bowl NFL defensive players in the NFL, and pit them against the Rams offense as it is, and they will not be able to force the Rams into a 123.5 efficiency rating. Only a team's own offense can do that to itself. The same goes for their two other opponents too. Green Bay and 49ers. They beat those teams, but it
also took those teams beating themselves first. None of those teams even remotely resembled themselves. You cannot sit here and tell me what you saw, if you watched those games was the Giants straight up beating their opponents.
Playoffs:
Offense(lower the better):
Patriots offense have a 12.3ypp scoring efficiency rating. (good enough for #2 in the league)
Giants have 14.98ypp scoring efficiency rating. (good enough for 15th)
Defense(higher the better):
New England: 21.7ypp(good enough for #2 in the league)
Giants: 24.7ypp(good enough for #1 in the league)
By comparison in the regular sea7son:
Turnover margin:
Patriots -3
Giants + 5
1 Green Bay 11.8
2 San Francisco 13.2
4 New England 13.2
15 Giants 15.5
NE's gotten better despite a negative turnover margin. I don't think there is a word large enough to explain how absolutely incredible that is. Both teams played great defenses. But the Patriots played two teams that were + in turnover margin.
Turnover margin kills your efficiency rating. So when you are +5 and you rank average versus a team who is -3 and ranks 2nd in the league...use common sense.
NE's should have been ranked terrible in efficiency. No teams survives -3 and ranks good in efficiency. Not even GB. Nobody has done this this entire 2011 season. Not even Pittsburgh's defense can do this.
Plenty of teams have looked good against teams who beat themselves when they are +5. That's not shocking. The biggest accomplishment is what Patriots being able to play like they did against the Ravens and still come out efficient.
When they first met:
Giants: 15.0
Patriots: 21.9
Giants: +2 turnover margin.
See? That's
expected. That's normal. They were +2, their offense was more efficient, thus they WON! Likewise, Patriots efficiency took a nose dive because of them being -2. 21.9 is about the equivalent of the Cleveland Browns offense. So nothing unusual about what the Giants did in their first game or in the playoffs. Teams who turnover usually end up inefficient and lose.
But what the Patriots just accomplished? That's is freaking HUGE! They have no answer for that if the Patriots played like they did against the Ravens. They are simply outclassed at this point in the season. And if things go in the Patriots favor, they will get blown out.
Statistically this tells me they cannot beat the Patriots
unless the Patriots turn over the ball and they play perfect....but after what I saw yesterday...not even that might be enough to beat the Patriots anymore. That's what it comes down to.
