After scoring only 28 points in a pair of season-opening losses, the New York Giants have put 75 points on the board in back-to-back victories during weeks 3 and 4. The offense, acclimating to the West Coast-based scheme installed this season by first-year coordinator Ben McAdoo, has been clicking nicely. 

Larry Donnell (a team-high 25 catches, 4 TDs) is an emerging star at tight end. Eli Manning is completing a career-best 66.9 percent of his passes.


Rashad Jennings (341) is third in the league in rushing yards. The offensive line has been playing well, led by left tackle Will Beatty, the top-ranked tackle in the league according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required for Premium content).

The Giants have done all of this while waiting to get a contribution from first-round pick Odell Beckham Jr., who has yet to play in a game (preseason or regular season) due to a lingering hamstring injury that has affected him since shortly after the beginning of OTAs in May. Beckham, however, has been practicing this week and barring a setback is expected to make his long-awaited NFL debut Sunday at MetLife Stadium against the Atlanta Falcons.

What does this mean for the Giants? Donnell has become a weapon for Manning and the Giants. Slot receiver Victor Cruz is already a star. Rueben Randle is second on the team with 19 receptions, on pace for a career-best 76. Veteran Preston Parker is filling in adequately for Jerrel Jernigan, who was actually keeping a spot warm for Beckham before going on IR with a foot injury.

 

The one thing the Giants appear to lack offensively are explosive play-makers, guys who can -- in NFL parlance -- "blow the top off defenses." That is what the Giants hoped Beckham would do for them when they selected the former LSU star with the 12th overall pick in the May draft.

"He is that big speed that you need on the outside that can go get that ball. He is almost pro-ready. We obviously think he is going to get better with pro coaching, but we think he is pro-ready now. He is a terrific route runner, and we love the pick," GM Jerry Reese said after the Giants selected Beckham. "You need weapons in this league. We think this guy is a weapon."

The Giants have been increasingly efficient in their passing game throughout the first four weeks, but there is no denying that the vertical element Manning thrived on for a decade until former offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride has not been there. 

Cruz does have a 61-yard touchdown, but that was a catch-and-run off of a short slant. Manning has completed only 3-of-14 pass attempts of longer than 20 yards in the first four games. The Giants average 6.7 yards per pass attempt (22nd in the league) and 9.9 yards per completion (25th). 

What they hope Beckham will do is stretch the field for them with both some vertical completions and some yards after catch. Beckham averaged 19.6 yards per catch at LSU last season.

"I hope that he can be a big weapon for us," said Manning. "He definitely has a little burst of energy, a burst of speed. He can be a deep threat, can win on some underneath stuff. Can get him hopefully throwing some short passes and he can break it for some big plays."

How much Beckham can play initially, and how quickly the rookie can get on the same page with Manning and adapt to playing against NFL cornerbacks remains to be seen. It certainly will be a positive development, however, for the Giants to get Beckham on the field and begin to see what they have.