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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. –** Statistics can often be distorted or misleading, but a look at the Giants' numbers in the first half of the 2013 season provides a clear indication why they are 2-6 as they come off their bye and prepare to host the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.
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The numbers show why the Giants will begin the second half of the season facing an uphill climb toward playoff contention. They are scoring fewer points, gaining fewer yards – particularly on the ground – and turning over the ball far too often. It was no coincidence that the Giants did not have an offensive turnover in each of their last two games and enjoyed their first victories of the season over Minnesota and Philadelphia.
The Giants are also allowing more points than they have at any midseason under Coughlin. But that is not completely the defense's fault. The punt team has given up four touchdowns (three on returns, one via a bad snap) and cost the Giants a shutout in the two victories. The defense has allowed only a field goal in the last 10 quarters and has shutout three opponents in the last nine quarters. The unit has plenty of room for improvement on third down and in sacking opposing quarterbacks and forcing turnovers.
Perhaps the most startling statistic is the Giants' turnover differential. Coughlin preaches the importance of winning the turnover battle as routinely as he wears a Giants cap whenever he's on the practice field or the sideline. But the Giants are last in the NFL at minus-12, with 25 giveaways – seven more than any other team – and 13 takeaways. That, obviously, is their worst midseason mark in Coughlin's decade with the team. Last year at this time, the Giants were plus-13, their best midseason differential under Coughlin.
Elsewhere, the Giants have scored only 15 touchdowns in eight games and their 17.6 points per game are almost 12 points fewer than they were scoring at this juncture in 2012. Their first downs (18.1 a game), total yards (327.8), rushing yards per game (69.9) and per carry (3.2) are all midseason lows since 2004, Coughlin's first season.
Eli Manning has been sacked 12 more times after eight games this season than last (19-7), while the defense has gone the other way (10 now, 21 a year ago). On the plus side, their opponents' average play has gained 4.9 yards, compared to 6.2 yards in 2012.
Opposing completion percentage is down slightly to 60.1, but passer rating has risen from 78.1 to 83.6, and Giants interceptions have dropped from 16 to seven.
Special teams have given us one statistical oddity. The Giants have missed two field goal attempts at midseason for the third year in a row. But the number of tries has fluctuated from nine in 2011 to 26 last year to 14 this season.
The following are the Giants' midseason offensive, defensive and special teams statistics from 2004-2013:
OFFENSE:
| **Category** | **Mid** **2004** | **Mid** **2005** | **Mid** **2006** | **Mid** **2007** | **Mid** **2008** | **Mid** **2009** | **Mid** **2010** | **Mid** **2011** | **Mid** **2012** | **Mid 2013** |
| **Record** | 5-3 | 6-2 | 6-2 | 6-2 | 7-1 | 5-3 | 6-2 | 6-2 | 6-2 | 2-6 |
| **Points/ Game** | 21.5 | 29.1 | 24.3 | 25.0 | 28.3 | 26.5 | 27.0 | 24.6 | 29.3 | 17.6 |
| **Touchdowns** | 19 | 26 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 27 | 25 | 23 | 15 |
| **First Downs/ Game** | 19.7 | 18.4 | 21.3 | 20.7 | 21.8 | 20.6 | 22.9 | 20.5 | 21.5 | 18.1 |
| **Avg. Possession Time** | 31:34 | 28:44 | 31:37 | 32:07 | 33:01 | 33:57 | 34:32 | 29:41 | 30:36 | 28:56 |
| **3rd Downs Made/Att.** | 28/101 | 41/106 | 43/100 | 45/103 | 42/96 | 49/112 | 38/102 | 35/103 | 40/102 | 38/110 |
| **3rd Down Pct.** | 27.7 | 38.7 | 43.0 | 43.7 | 43.8 | 43.8 | 37.3 | 34.0 | 39.2 | 34.5 |
| **Total Yds/ Game** | 335.6 | 340.4 | 359.1 | 334.0 | 371.4 | 386.9 | 401.0 | 371.6 | 396.8 | 327.8 |
| **Avg. Per Play** | 5.2 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 6.2 | 5.2 |
| **Rush Yards/Game** | 131.5 | 125.8 | 143.0 | 137.8 | 162.6 | 141.8 | 151.9 | 88.8 | 114.6 | 69.9 |
| **Per Carry Avg.** | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 3.2 |
| **Pass Yards/ Game** | 204.1 | 214.6 | 216.1 | 196.3 | 208.8 | 245.1 | 249.1 | 282.9 | 282.1 | 257.9 |
| **Completion Pct. ** | 61.5 | 51.6 | 61.1 | 56.8 | 61.4 | 58.3 | 65.7 | 62.9 | 62.5 | 55.6 |
| **Sacks Yards/ Lost** | 34/167 | 12/94 | 17/122 | 9/54 | 10/70 | 10/66 | 12/82 | 15/114 | 7/48 | 19/120 |
| **Interceptions ** | 4 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 16 |
| **Passer Rating** | 83.7 | 84.3 | 87.2 | 77.3 | 91.1 | 87.4 | 92.7 | 98.8 | 88.9 | 68.4 |
| **Fumbles/Lost** | 19/7 | 11/6 | 9/3 | 9/5 | 10/2 | 11/6 | 15/11 | 9/5 | 6/3 | 12/9 |
| **Turnover Diff.** | +9 | +13 | +1 | +1 | +6 | +1 | -3 | +7 | +13 | -12 |
| **Red Zone TDs** | 32/14 43.8% | 43/18 52.9% | 25/14 56.0% | 29/16 55.2% | 36/18 50.0% | 32/13 40.6% | 31/20 64.5% | 27/17 63.0% | 36/16 44.4% | 19/9 47.4% |
| **Penalties/ Yards** | 63/496 | 71/549 | 53/440 | 41/367 | 56/489 | 45/386 | 51/435 | 51/421 | 36/299 | 55/509 |
DEFENSE:
| **Category** | **Mid** **2004** | **Mid** **2005** | **Mid** **2006** | **Mid** **2007** | **Mid** **2008** | **Mid** **2009** | **Mid** **2010** | **Mid** **2011** | **Mid** **2012** | **Mid 2013** |
| **Points/ Game** | 17.6 | 17.9 | 18.0 | 19.8 | 16.1 | 22.9 | 20.0 | 23.0 | 20.1 | 27.9 |
| **Touchdowns** | 18 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 14 | 24 | 17 | 20 | 17 | 26 |
| **First Downs/ Game** | 17.5 | 19.5 | 18.0 | 18.0 | 14.6 | 15.6 | 13.8 | 20.3 | 19.6 | 21.9 |
| **3rd Downs Made/Att.** | 39/99 | 47/111 | 51/112 | 44/108 | 35/100 | 30/96 | 30/103 | 39/113 | 34/94 | 54/120 |
| **3rd Down Pct.** | 39.4 | 42.3 | 45.5 | 40.7 | 35.0 | 31.3 | 29.1 | 34.5 | 36.2 | 45.0 |
| **Total Yds/ Game** | 315.0 | 341.8 | 301.1 | 296.1 | 260.4 | 278.1 | 250.6 | 365.6 | 386.5 | 344.3 |
| **Avg. Per Play** | 5.3 | 5.2 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 4.4 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 4.9 |
| **Rush Yds/ Game** | 118.8 | 98.3 | 94.9 | 101.0 | 85.4 | 113.1 | 80.9 | 127.1 | 113.0 | 102.3 |
| **Per Carry Avg.** | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 3.6 |
| **Pass Yds/ Game** | 196.3 | 243.5 | 206.1 | 195.1 | 175.0 | 165.0 | 169.8 | 238.5 | 273.5 | 242.0 |
| **Completion Pct. ** | 60.9 | 61.6 | 58.0 | 57.0 | 57.6 | 58.6 | 54.6 | 59.8 | 62.4 | 60.1 |
| **Sacked/ Yards ** | 20/125 | 19/137 | 21/120 | 30/194 | 30/210 | 18/143 | 24/159 | 28/215 | 21/159 | 10/87 |
| **Interceptions** | 10 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 16 | 7 |
| **Passer Rating** | 82.0 | 76.5 | 74.9 | 79.2 | 70.2 | 86.3 | 72.6 | 78.8 | 78.1 | 83.6 |
| **Opp. Fumbles** | 14/10 | 15/13 | 12/4 | 14/7 | 11/2 | 18/9 | 19/10 | 16/8 | 15/8 | 14/6 |
| **Red Zone TDs** | 22/15 68.2% | 23/12 52.2% | 17/11 64.7% | 19/13 68.4% | 14/5 35.7% | 26/19 73.1% | 21/12 57.1% | 30/15 50% | 19/9 47.4% | 22/13 59.1 |
| **Opp. Pens/Yards** | 68/544 | 75/563 | 38/283 | 65/501 | 62/464 | 45/389 | 62/508 | 56/497 | 52/381 | 49/491 |
SPECIAL TEAMS:
| **Category** | **Mid** **2004** | **Mid** **2005** | **Mid** **2006** | **Mid** **2007** | **Mid** **2008** | **Mid** **2009** | **Mid** **2010** | **Mid** **2011** | **Mid** **2012** | **Mid 2013** |
| **Field Goals** | 13/18 | 17/18 | 11/13 | 12/15 | 18/19 | 17/21 | 9/12 | 7/9 | 24/26 | 12/14 |
| **Punts/ Average** | 37/40.7 | 35/44.1 | 34/41.0 | 33/39.7 | 30/43.4 | 31/39.9 | 30/44.8 | 44/45.8 | 28/45.9 | 46/47.2 |
| **Net Punting Avg. ** | 35.3 | 40.2 | 36.1 | 34.5 | 39.4 | 35.9 | 35.4 | 39.3 | 39.5 | 35.4 |
| **Opp. Punts/Avg.** | 41/37.7 | 35/41.9 | 37/41.2 | 40/44.3 | 41/44.5 | 45/46.1 | 46/44.2 | 39/45.2 | 27/44.7 | 40/44.5 |
| **Opp. Net Punting** | 33.6 | 36.1 | 37.1 | 39.9 | 37.3 | 40.3 | 39.0 | 40.8 | 41.3 | 40.3 |
| **Punt Returns/ Avg.** | 19/7.7 | 23/7.9 | 16/5.7 | 19/8.2 | 25/9.4 | 26/8.5 | 25/6.4 | 16/8.2 | 11/6.7 | 18/6.1 |
| **Opp. Punt Returns** | 16/8.8 | 19/6.1 | 13/8.2 | 15/7.3 | 11/5.4 | 11/7.6 | 15/14.8 | 26/8.8 | 14/5.5 | 21/20.2 |
| **KO Returns/ Avg.** | 26/24.5 | 30/26.5 | 30/21.3 | 26/24.7 | 27/20.6 | 29/21.5 | 23/17.5 | 24/22.3 | 31/25.8 | 19/21.2 |
| **Opp. KO Returns** | 36/18.8 | 44/21.3 | 33/21.4 | 42/25.1 | 45/20.1 | 40/22.0 | 39/20.1 | 24/22.7 | 39/23.9 | 11/25.0 |
*The Giants' game vs. Oakland on Sunday will kick off a three-game homestand that includes contests in MetLife Stadium vs. Green Bay and Dallas. It's the first time the Giants are hosting three games in three weeks since Oct. 19-Nov. 12, 2006, when they defeated Tampa Bay and Houston and lost to a Chicago Bears team that advanced that season to the Super Bowl. The Giants played three consecutive home games in 2011, but had a bye between the second and third games.
The Giants almost certainly have to sweep the three games to remain in contention for the NFC East title. History suggests that will be difficult.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, NFL teams have had 145 three-game homestands (without a bye) since 1995. The Houston Texans played four consecutive home games in 2008, which Elias broke down into a pair of three-game streaks.
Here is how those teams fared:
| **3-0:**27 **2-1:** 56 **1-2:** 50 **0-3:** 12 | **Game 1:** 86-59 (.593) **Game 2:** 75-70 (.517) **Game 3:** 82-63 (.566) |
*On Sunday, the Giants will try to win their sixth consecutive game following a regular-season bye:
Giants after bye weeks: 9-15 (.375) overall, have won five in a row
| 1990 | W | 4-0 at bye | Beat the Redskins in Washington, 24-20 |
| 1991 | L | 4-3 at bye | Lost to the Redskins at home, 17-13 |
| 1992 | L | 1-2 at bye | Lost to the Raiders in Los Angeles, 13-10 |
| 1993 | L | 3-0 at first bye | Lost to the Bills in Buffalo, 17-14 |
| L | 5-1 at second bye | Lost to the Jets at home, 10-6 | |
| 1994 | L | 3-0 at bye | Lost to Saints in New Orleans, 27-22 |
| 1995 | W | 2-5 at bye | Beat the Redskins in Washington, 24-15 |
| 1996 | L | 2-3 at bye | Lost to the Eagles at home, 19-10 |
| 1997 | L | 6-3 at bye | Lost to the Oilers in Memphis, 10-6 |
| 1998 | L | 3-4 at bye | Lost to the Redskins in Washington, 21-14 |
| 1999 | L | 5-3 at bye | Lost the Colts at home, 27-19 |
| 2000 | W | 5-2 at bye | Beat the Eagles at home, 24-7 |
| 2001 | L | 5-6 at bye | Lost to the Cowboys in Dallas, 20-13 |
| 2002 | L | 3-3 at bye | Lost to the Eagles in Philadelphia, 17-3 |
| 2003 | L | 2-1 at bye | Lost to Miami at home, 23-10 |
| 2004 | L | 4-1 at bye | Lost to Detroit at home, 28-13 |
| 2005 | L | 3-1 at bye | Lost to the Cowboys in Dallas, 16-13 in OT |
| 2006 | W | 1-2 at bye | Beat the Redskins at home, 19-3 |
| 2007 | L | 6-2 at bye | Lost to the Cowboys at home, 31-20 |
| 2008 | W | 3-0 at bye | Beat the Seahawks at home, 44-6 |
| 2009 | W | 5-4 at bye | Beat the Falcons at home, 34-31 in OT |
| 2010 | W | 5-2 at bye | Beat the Seahawks in Seattle, 41-7 |
| 2011 | W | 4-2 at bye | Beat the Dolphins at home, 20-17 |
| 2012 | W | 6-4 at bye | Beat the Packers at home, 38-10 |
Coughlin is 11-6 in post-bye games, including 6-3 with the Giants.
