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Through two games, Eli Manning has seven interceptions and the New York giants are averaging only 2.2 yards per rushing attempt. Not coincidentally, the New York Giants are 0-2.
If the team has postseason aspirations, Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers suddenly becomes a must-win situation. And the wins won't come easy until the offense can find some balance, according to Manning.
"I think we'll bounce back and I thought there were some good things. We just didn't get touchdowns," the Giants quarterback said following the Giants' 41-23 loss to the Denver Broncos. "We're in a bind. We have to get more balanced. We have to run the ball better and we have to eliminate turnovers.
"I think we'll keep fighting and get back on track ... We've got to get back to winning some games."
The Giants have struggled to run the rock. Through two contests the team has averaged 36.5 yards per game on the ground, and lead back David Wilson has totaled a mere 36 rushing yards.
The team added Brandon Jacobs last week to help solidify the running game, but the results were the same. Denver made a conscious effort to stop the run in early-down situations, but Manning believes it's crucial to stay true to the ground game.
"We have to run the ball better," he said. "It's just a combination of having some success with it, getting better down and distance, so that should slow down the pass rush and should help out with the play action and help out our offense."
The lack of a rushing attack put the Giants in more second- and third-and-long situations, where the team struggled to convert on third-downs and forced Manning into more interceptions.
The combination of the Broncos' pass rush, some misreads and a handful of drops all played a role to the Giants struggles, said Manning, who was hit seven times and threw four interceptions in the contest.
"Before the season starts I like to set goals -- keeping interceptions in the single digits. I kind of have to start over," he said. "Sometimes you get late in games and we have to make a play and force something here, and whether it's intercepted or incomplete an interception probably ends up being better there for us field position-wise.
"At the end of games or when you're competing, I'm going to be aggressive and not worry about stats or quarterback rating. Honestly, I'm not trying to throw interceptions; I'm just worried about getting back to playing well offensively."
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