The New York Giants need to fill an Odell Beckham Jr.-sized hole in their lineup.
With Beckham suspended for Sunday night's contest against the Minnesota Vikings, Big Blue will be without the man responsible for 26 percent of their receptions, 36 percent of their receiving yards and 41 percent of their touchdown catches.
"Obviously, the opportunity is going to be there for everybody to contribute," coach Tom Coughlin said of replacing Beckham's production, via the New York Post. "Certainly many, many people are going to have to be called upon."
Beckham being out takes away Eli Manning's go-to target and the sole playmaker defenses fear. Manning's passer rating is 20.9 points higher when targeting Beckham Jr. when compared to the rest of the Giants this season. Sans OBJ to force double and triple teams, the rest of the receiving corps will see stiffer coverage than any time this season.
Yet, Big Blue's wideouts shrugged at the challenge.
"Odell is just one piece of the puzzle, and we've got other guys that can play, too," Dwayne Harris said. "We're just going to go out, do our job and play football."
Added Hakeem Nicks: "I look it as a great opportunity, and when opportunity knocks on the door, you've got to answer it."
Harris, Nicks, Rueben Randle and tight end Will Tye will be asked to shoulder the load with the most explosive receiver in the NFL suspended. We expect Nicks to see a significant snap and target increase with Beckham out.Â
In order to avoid missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season, the Giants need to win out and get a lot of help to win the NFC East.
