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Gary Hershorn/Associated Press

In case you haven’t noticed, quarterback Eli Manning has gone from averaging 253.7 yards in his first seven games of the season to averaging 308 yards per game in his last three performances. Ten of his 21 touchdowns to date have come over that three-week span as well.

The reason for that might surprise you.

Naturally, many people might suggest that Manning’s connection with Odell Beckham Jr. is the reason for that surge in the passing game, but statistically, that’s just not true.

According to the various NFL game books, in that three-game period, Beckham has been targeted 38 times and has caught 21 passes for 339 yards and four touchdowns, which is impressive production; however, as we saw in the Patriots game where Beckham only came up with four catches out of 12 pass targets, Manning has done a better job of spreading the ball around.

That means that instead of locking in on Beckham, Manning is trusting his receivers much more than he might have earlier in the season. He’s also identifying the right matchups and exploiting them accordingly. All of that combined has helped the Giants passing game, currently ranked 10th in the NFL, emerge as the strength of the team.

So what can the passing game do better after the bye? First and foremost, the receivers need to stop dropping passes. Per Pro Football Focus, Manning is tied with Blake Bortles of Jacksonville for third-most dropped passes (22).

With the Giants not having much of a running game, every pass thrown has to count for something if this team is to finish the season on a high note.