New York Giants: 4 Areas That Must Improve for Giants to Beat Buffalo Bills

Injuries have decimated the Giants roster all season. This was evident in their loss to the Seattle Seahawks last week.

Despite all these overwhelming injuries, many believed that the Giants still had a chance to win the NFC East this season. The Giants needed this win to stay atop their their division, but they struggled mightily the Sewhawks.

Now they are 3-2 heading into their game Buffalo Bills. The Redskins are playing well so they can't lose any more ground this Sunday.

Although these injuries seem insurmountable, here are four ways the Giants could upset the surprising Bills team.

The Offensive Line as a Unit

After the Giants cut Rich Seubert and Shaun O'Hara in the offseason, there were many people concerned with how the offensive line would fare.

Although they have had some good performances, last week was not one of them. They played terribly, in both the pass and the run.

Giants' running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Danny Ware combined rush for 61 yards on 21 carries for a measly 2.9 yards per carry. That's not going to cut it. The O-Line had a lot of trouble creating lanes for them to run through.

Every time they received the hand off from quarterback Eli Manning, they were met at the line by a sea of Seahawk defenders. They had no chance on this day.

In the pass, they let Eli Manning get sacked three times, was hit two more times. One of these sacks induced a fumble. Manning, when given time in the pocket, can be one of the best quarterbacks in the league. When he is hurried or hit, he can be one of the worst decision makers in the league.

Luckily for the O-line they are about to face the 29th ranked rush defense in the NFL and the 26th ranked pass defense in the league. That means that they need to take advantage of areas in which the Bills have struggled through five games.

Either way you look at it the offensive line will play a role in determining the outcome of the game.

Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw

Granted the offense line has had problems, the running game has not been good either. Although Bradshaw has been a lot better than Brandon Jacobs, they have the potential to be a lot more effective.

Their "thunder and lightning" tandem has only resulted in a light drizzle. They haven't been impressive by any means.

Whether it's the offensive line or offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride abandoning the run, something is just not clicking for these two.

The Giants, who have been known throughout history for having a strong running game, are currently 28th in the NFL in rush offense. That is not acceptable.

As a result of the anemic rushing attack, Manning is getting a lot more pressure in his face because the threat is just not there.

If the O-line and the running backs need to work together to establish an effective running back and consequently open up the play action for Eli and company. 

Well something's gotta give this weekend.

They Must Convert on Third Down

When Steve Smith and Kevin Boss left, one of the major concerns was who was Eli Manning going to go to on third down? 

The answer to that question is no one because they haven't been converting any 3rd down conversions.

Last week against the Seahawks they were 1-of-12 on third downs in the game. How they were able to stay in the game for so long is a mystery for me. In their first five games the Giants are 18-of-62 on third down, for an abysmal 29 percent.

If they want to extend drives they need to convert their third downs against the Bills or any team.

The Giants Are a Disaster on Defense

The Giants have been extremely unlucky with injuries all season, but another staple of the New York Giants franchise is hard-nose defense. Right now they are playing Charmin soft.

Their rushing defense is near the bottom of the league and their pass defense is not so hot either

With their defensive captain Justin Tuck out the Giants are substantially worse against the run at the defensive line. The Giants in general is just over-pursing and not staying home on defense. That is opening up huge holes for opposing running backs.

In the secondary the Giants have also had many injuries. The most important one was to their starting cornerback Terrell Thomas. As a result of depth, they also have had many struggles. Last weak they let Doug Baldwin (yeah, I didn't know who that was either) burned them for 136 yards receiving and a touchdown. 

The Giants are going to need to stop the fourth best rushing offense in the Bills, which will eventually slow down their pass offense. This will be a dire hire to the depleted secondary.