Carter's Classroom: Deceiving Eli's Eyes

The Giants have been on a roll and bring a six-game win streak into the game Sunday at Heinz Field against the Steelers.

In the past four games, the Giants' offense has been efficient, led by Eli Manning, who has thrown 12 touchdowns and only four interceptions in that time. The Steelers' defense has put together a few solid performances recently, only allowing 16 points in the past two games.

The Giants have the best record of any team remaining on the Steelers' schedule, so a win Sunday could set a new tone to a rocky season for the Steelers.

This week's preview will focus on what the Giants' offense has done as of late to be successful, and the weaknesses the Steelers may look to exploit this weekend:



ELI'S EXPLOITS

The Giants' offense has several speedy receivers, including Odell Beckham Jr., and Manning shares a characteristic with Ben Roethlisberger in that he looks to get those matchups in his key receivers and will focus on them to make the big plays.

Watch here as Manning identifies the man coverage used by the Browns and waits for Beckham Jr. to cross the middle of the field to get have a step on his cornerback:

https://vimeo.com/194098897

Manning knows that once the ball gets in Beckham Jr.'s hands that the defense has to get him down fast or else it's a touchdown such as the play above. But notice how Manning has his focus on his star receiver for the whole play, it's because he identified the coverage pre-snap and knew he could lead Beckham Jr. without much of a challenge from the defense.

That's what led to what I found about Manning's tendencies; he does read what opposing defenses are doing at the line of scrimmage, but once he does, he tend to lock in on the option that he believes will become open based off that read. Similarly to Roethlisberger, that can lead to big plays when the correct read is made, but can also lead to trouble when a defense disguises what they are doing and fools Manning.

Take a look at another example of when he read man coverage below:

https://vimeo.com/194139168

Notice above how he sees the mismatch of a big body like rookie tight end Jerrell Adams against man coverage by a defensive back. Manning picks his plan of attack at the start of the play and goes to it quickly. Against coverage that Manning can identify, his receivers benefit because that's when their quarterback is at his most confident and can place accurate passes for them to make a play on.

Make no mistake, Manning can switch between receivers after the snap of the ball, but relying on his primary pre-snap read is something that he seems to lean on more often than not.

The Steelers will be up against an elite receiver in Beckham Jr., so they will have to give their cornerbacks assistance from safeties and linebackers to close down on the passing windows.

Also like Roethlisberger, Manning knows how to extend a play and throw on the run. Once a play breaks down, Manning is a visual quarterback that relies on his eyes to find his target. Watch here as he finds Victor Cruz while on the run:

https://vimeo.com/194098226

The Steelers cannot afford to allow their pass rush to breakdown and give Manning easy escape lanes. If they get the Giants into a situation like this, the Steelers need to keep him in the pocket. Manning will get antsy and start to move around to buy himself more time, but if he is kept within the pocket, interior blitzers like Stephon Tuitt and Javon Hargrave might have the best chance to bring him down.

ATTACK THE LINE

The Giant's offensive line is tied with the Steelers in having allowed the second fewest sacks in 2016 with just 14. However this is not because of Manning having elite protectors in front of him, but more of the coordination and communication the offense has had against blitz packages.

Often times it is Manning who is able to get the ball off quickly or avoid the pass rush that makes it so the Giants are not sacked too often, not because the Giants' offensive line wins their one-on-one battles. Their linemen do a good job at being in position to prevent opposing defenses from exploiting easy rush lanes to Manning, but when against strong pass rushers they often get crushed:

https://vimeo.com/194139126

Watch above how Geno Atkins just pushes his way through a double team in the A-Gap. This is a complete breakdown on the part of the offensive line and seems to be the theme with most of the sacks they've surrendered. The linemen are in position on the play, but just get beat.

The same thing happened here when Clay Matthews came around the edge to sack Manning in the Giants' most recent loss:

https://vimeo.com/194139983

The above play shows a very simple move on the part of Matthews that gives him the edge and he finishes the job. When I look at sacks like these and other plays when Manning has had to get rid of the ball due to pressure, I see why he wants to make hasty decisions based on his reads to ease the pressure on his line.

The Steelers have managed to record 11 sacks in the past two weeks despite the absence of its leader, Cam Heyward. Players like Tuitt, James Harrison, Hargrave and Ryan Shazier are going to have chances to win in one-on-one battles with the Giants' linemen, something that could be in the Steelers' favor.

EVALUATE ELI'S EYES

If you revisit those earlier successful plays, you'll see what we're talking about when we say how Manning stares down his receivers at times. While that does come from his pre-snap read, that can still give defenders an edge in taking away his options.

That can be a big factor into the Steelers' style of defense. Like how they approached Kirk Cousins in the season opener, the Steelers could be in a good spot with their traditional zone coverage schemes against Manning. Zones are not as straightforward for quarterbacks to dissect, so presenting Manning with more zone looks could slow down his decisions and takeaway his most comfortable style of play.

It can also allow the defense to play against his eyes, like Dre Kirkpatrick did here:

https://vimeo.com/194139223

Kirkpatrick watches the eyes of Manning and plays this pass aggressively. He runs through the receiver's route because he knows exactly what Manning is looking to do with this pass. Manning relies on his eyes too often and it gets him into trouble against good defenses.

The Steelers have been able to record three interceptions with their secondary in the past two weeks. If their pass rush can generate pressure and win the one-on-one matchups to force Manning's hand, those opportunities will present themselves to players like Artie Burns, Ross Cockrell and Mike Mitchell.

What allowed me to look at the Giants' offensive line closer was the fact that their team rushing numbers are among the lowest in the league. As I look at their few successful plays on the ground, they often are a result of Rashad Jennings squeezing through the smallest of holes and making plays with his quick feet.

The Steelers' run defense is ranked among the top 10 in the NFL, so if they continue their trend of stopping the run, the team should be in good shape to win on Sunday.

Considering the Giants' weak ground game, the Steelers should be favored to force them into more predictable passing situations, a factor that has helped them win each of their games this season. When the Steelers have allowed a team to rush for 100 yards more more, they are 0-4 this season; but when they have held teams under 100 yards rushing, their record is 6-1.

That means that this will come down to whether the Steelers' offense can take flight and whether the Steelers' pass defense can fool Manning long enough to keep them off the board.