O-line knows effort is ‘unacceptable’

Khalil Mack wasn’t rushing the quarterback. Neither was Von Miller. The Giants merely made the Redskins front seven, a group that entered Sunday tied for 24th in the NFL in sacks, look like a group of perennial Pro Bowlers.

“It’s obviously unacceptable, the protection,” center Spencer Pulley fumed after Big Blue’s offensive line allowed seven sacks in the Redskins’ 20-13 victory over the Giants at MetLife Stadium. “I don’t think they did a whole lot we weren’t expecting. I don’t know if we weren’t playing well together or individually, or both. We have to watch the film and see, we have to take a hard look at it.

“I didn’t know it was that many [sacks]. That’s ridiculous. That’s something we can’t allow.”

Washington entered the contest with 14 sacks as a team, and had half that many Sunday, battering Eli Manning all game long. The Redskins also notched 10 quarterback hits, pushing the Giants line backwards frequently and bringing their season total of sacks allowed to a staggering 31 through eight games, three fewer than last season’s amount. Manning’s career-high is 39 in 2013.

“I don’t think we’re the highend or reliable O-line that we’d like to be,” left tackle Nate Solder said.

It didn’t help that right tackle Chad Wheeler (ankle) left the game in the third quarter, but the Giants weren’t exactly blocking the Red skins well before he got hurt anyway. They had no answer for Ryan Kerrigan or Matt Ioannidis, who combined for 3.5 sacks. Solder, signed to a massive four-year, $62 million contract in the offseason, continued to struggle with speed rushers, as he did in allowing a pair of sacks to the Falcons last Monday night.

“I’m doing the best that I can,” Solder said, when asked if he has lived up to his contract.

Solder believes the key is the running game, getting that going — Saquon Barkley was limited to 38 yards on 13 carries — and preventing so many third-and-long situations. Too much was being made of all the sacks, he said, when there are so many other areas of concern for the offense.

“It all starts with us so if there’s anybody to be mad at it it’s ourselves,” rookie left guard Will Hernandez said.

A few of the sacks did seem to come as the result of good coverage or Manning taking too long to get rid of the ball. But when asked about those instances, Solder declined comment. Manning took the high road himself, accepting fault for some of the sacks without pointing the finger at any of his linemen in particular.

“Each one has its own story,” Manning said of the sacks. “Some of them were coverage things, some of them were getting beat and some were that I have to do a better job getting the ball out. Each one has its own reason.”