New York Giants news, 12/6: Offensive numbers don’t lie

Just how far backwards have the New York Giants gone on offense since 2015, when they were one of the highest-scoring teams in the NFL? The numbers tell the story.

The Giants have scored fewer than 20 points five times this season, including last Sunday. They are one of five teams that have yet to score 30 points in a game this year. Through 12 games, they are averaging 327.4 total yards and 77.5 rushing yards per game. At the end of the 2015 season, those figures were 372.3 and 100.6. The Giants are averaging 20.4 points a game. Their per-game average last year of 26.3 points was sixth in the league.

“Like I said going into the season, you can’t flip a switch and expect to be the same type of outfit in the past,” McAdoo said during a Monday conference call. “Each year is a new year and you have to earn it and up to this point, me included, we haven’t earned it. We have to find a way to be more consistent moving the ball, eliminate the setbacks and the unforced errors and take advantage of our opportunities.”

At this late stage of the season are the Giants capable of fixing issues that have plagued them all season? Quarterback Eli Manning believes they are.

“We’re good enough to compete,” Manning said in his postgame news conference Sunday. “It was just a matter of a couple of plays difference or a couple of inches’ difference today. Not getting possible touchdowns and coming away with no points. They say it’s a game of inches and it’s true there. We have to improve and get better at some things. We have to get better on third down, but we’re good enough to compete. Defense is playing well. Offense, we’re going to make our plays and hit some big plays. We just have to take advantage of when we get down in the red zone and score points.”

Shane Vereen update

McAdoo sounded uncertain as to whether running back Shane Vereen, out since Week 3 with a triceps injury, would be activated this week.

“We will take Shane back as soon as we can get him back, but that is more of a medical question,” McAdoo said. “If it was up to me, we would have him out there rolling already.”

Statistical leftovers

• Sunday marked the fourth time this season the Giants did not score a first-half offensive touchdown.
• The Giants had just 56 yards rushing, ending their streak of 100-yard rushing games at three.
• Le’Veon Bell ran for 118 yards as the Steelers became the first team to rush for more than 100 yards against the Giants since the Green Bay Packers did it in Week 5.
• Odell Beckham Jr. now has 75 catches for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns. He is the first player in Giants history to begin his career with three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons.