Why Eli Manning Needs the New York Giants' Defense to Step Up Down the Stretch

It's no secret that Eli Manning and his offense have been single handedly carrying the New York Giants to victory this season.

Not only does Manning have an offensive coordinator counting against him, but he also has his defense to contend with as well.

If it weren't for Manning, the Giants could find themselves at the bottom of the NFC East. Instead, they are fighting for first place and a playoff spot.

Manning ranks in the Top-5 in terms of total yards (3,705), touchdowns (23) and yards per game (309), and ranks No. 6 overall in regards to passer rating. 

New York's defense, on the other hand, ranks No. 29 in the league in terms of yards per game. They are surrendering over 387.3 yard every Sunday. Of those 387.3, 260.3 (No. 29) are via the pass and 127 (No. 23) are from the rush.

While the Giants D spent half of the season leading the league in sacks, while being thought of as a defense that can get to the quarterback, that statistic is superficial.

Think about this: Since their Week 8 victory over Miami, in which they recorded five sacks, the Giants' defense hasn't recorded more than two sacks in a game. That includes a zero-sack performance against New Orleans.

Over the course of their first seven games, the Giants accumulated 24 sacks, which is just under three and a half per game. Since their victory over New England, they're averaging less than one and a half sacks per game for a defense that prides itself on getting to the opponent's quarterback.

The only bright spot in terms of sacks for the Giants has been Jason Pierre-Paul, who currently ranks in a tie for fifth in total sacks during his sophomore campaign at 10.5 on the season.

Even during their 6-2 start, the Giants' defense wasn't solid.  They gave up a large chunk of passing yardage to Rex Grossman in Week 1 (305) and Sam Bradford in Week 2 (331).  

On the ground, they surrendered 138 yards and three touchdowns to Beanie Wells in Week 4, 121 yards and a touchdowns to Fred Jackson in Week 6, and 103 yards on 15 carries to Reggie Bush in Week 8.

On the plus side, New York's defense does rank in the Top 10 in regards to passes defended and interceptions. However, that's not enough.

If the Giants are going to make some noise in the playoffs, they're going to have to do it with their defense. Manning and the offense have done enough—it's now time for the defense to make their mark on the 2011 season.