There has been a lot of talk in the national media this week about how the New York Giants’ passing offense, featuring Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr, could potentially give the Panthers number one ranked defense some problems. To get a better understanding of what the Giants’ offense brings to the table, I decided to take a quick look at some of the Giants film on offense from this season. Below are some of my quick observations:

The Giants’ Offensive Coordinator is Ben McAdoo, who previously worked under Mike McCarthy in Green Bay. This is McAdoo’s second year with the Giants. McAdoo comes from a West Coast offensive background, and as expected from a West Coast attack, the Giants’ offense features a ton of short timing-based routes. Like the Packers’ offense, the Giants’ offense also features a lot of isolation routes. Basically, wide receivers need to beat coverage by themselves to get open, and they receive very little help from route concepts and route combinations. When teams have talent at the wide receiver position (like the Giants do), this can be a very tough passing attack to stop. However, when teams lack talent at the wide receiver position (like the Packers this season), the passing game can actually become quite easy to stop.

The Giants do not utilize as much pre-snap motion as some other quick timing based offenses, like the New Orleans Saints. What you see pre-snap is usually what you will get. The Giants run a rhythm and timing based offense built around the three-step drop short passing game. There are a lot of quick slants, quick curls and short dig routes.

Like almost every other NFL team, the Giants mostly use 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) as their base offensive personnel package. However, instead of having their tight ends flexed out into the slot, the Giants prefer having their tight ends stay inline, to either help in the run blocking game, in pass protection, or to run quick underneath routes. Occasionally the Giants will also flex into five wide sets out of 11 personnel.

As you all might have heard by now, the Giants like to move their superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. around the formation to get favorable match-ups. Beckham lines up outside at the X and Z receiver positions, and also in the slot as the Y receiver. The Panthers probably won’t need to worry about Beckham when he’s on the outside, as cornerback Josh Norman will likely be shadowing Beckham there. However, when Beckham motions into the slot, this will pose a problem for the Panthers defense, because the Panthers do not play Norman in the slot. Instead, Beckham will likely face slot cornerback Cortland Finnegan.

Odell Beckham Jr. has had a lot of big catches this season, but it’s interesting how most of his deep catches this season have come against either blown coverage by defenses, or on yardage generated after the catch on shorter passes. As I mentioned, the Giants offense doesn’t really use too many deep routes. Instead they prefer shorter routes and like to put their receivers in situations where they can get yardage after the catch.

One thing I quickly noticed when watching the Giants’ offense was how often Eli Manning was willing to test tight coverage and throw into very, very small windows. Even when the Giants’ receivers appear to be covered, or even double teamed, Manning will still throw it their way and hope for the best. This usually results in some big catches, but also is why Manning throws so many interceptions. Manning is the ultimate gambler, but with Odell Beckham Jr. these past two seasons, he’s won more than he’s lost when throwing it into tight coverage.

On this play, the Giants come out in 11 personnel and line up Beckham in the slot. Beckham will run a simple slant route to attack the zone behind the middle linebacker, and in front of the free safety. Beckham is able to get some easy separation because the slot cornerback is playing with outside leverage, expecting help inside from the middle linebacker, who also drops back into his zone.

It looks like Beckham is double teamed, but Manning doesn’t care. He throws it into the tight window, and Beckham is able to make the easy catch, and then use his elite speed to run for some more yardage. An easy pickup of 16 yards on a simple slant route.

Beckham is also a very efficient short yardage receiver. On this play, it’s third down with two yards to go. Beckham lines up as the backside "X-Iso" receiver in a 3x1 formation, and runs a simple curl route. Beckham is able to get just a bit of separation against tight coverage from Cowboys’ cornerback Brandon Carr, and Eli once again decides to throw it into a small window. Beckham makes a great hands catch for a gain of five yards, and the Giants are able to move the chains.

As I mentioned, the New York Giants occasionally like to come out in an empty backfield, five receiver set. In these formations, Beckham often lines up as the slot receiver. On this play, Beckham lines up in the slot on the backside of a 3x2 formation, and runs a quick slant route.

Manning once again throws into a tight window behind the slot cornerback and in front of the free safety, and Beckham is able to make the catch against double coverage for a gain of 16 yards.

Odell Beckham Jr. is almost unstoppable on the slant route. On this play against the Atlanta Falcons, the Giants motion to a five wide set with Beckham on the outside. Beckham runs another simple slant route, and is able to easily beat the soft coverage from the cornerback, who is playing with some extra cushion because he’s afraid of getting beat deep. Beckham makes the catch and uses his elite speed to run away from the Falcons’ pathetic secondary for a 67-yard touchdown catch.

Although the Giants’ offense is mostly built around the short pass, they occasionally like to go deep. On this play, Beckham runs a post route right towards the middle of the field. The Redskins are in Quarters coverage (Cover 4), and the safety gets occupied by the vertical route from the tight end, so it’s basically man-to-man coverage all the way across. The cornerback stands no chance. Beckham uses his elite speed and route running to gain easy separation, and beats the cornerback for a 30-yard touchdown. It doesn’t get any easier than this.

What’s fascinating about the play above is Beckham isn’t even supposed to be the primary or secondary read on the play. The Giants are running a "Flood" passing concept, which features a hi-lo read route combination, with a deep out and a flat route. Beckham’s deep route is simply meant to clear out the cornerback from the zone, and Manning is actually supposed to read the flat defender to see how the defender reacts to the deep out and flat route. If the flat defender positions himself too deep to defend the out, Manning’s job is to throw it on the flat route, which should be open. If the flat defender positions himself to defend the flat route, the deeper out route should be open.

Manning likely saw the Redskins’ safety in Quarters coverage, and automatically knew Beckham had a one-on-one match-up opportunity deep down the field against the cornerback. Beckham also notices the safety biting on the inside route from the tight end, so he adjusts his route towards the middle of the field, to give Manning a bigger window to throw to. The end result is a 30-yard touchdown.

Odell Beckham Jr. is a very, very though receiver to stop. I can’t wait to see how the Panthers attempt to defend the best wide receiver in the NFL this Sunday.

All GIF’s and images courtesy of NFL.com