Giants" Chain Reaction of Woe Begins With the Handoff EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - There was an excess of negative statistics to cull from the Giants" 41-23 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, but there is one measurement - viewed with a twist - that is more illustrative than any other. The Giants were 1 for 11 in third-down conversions. That is a staggering lapse, but in truth, the problem isn't third down, it's first and second downs. The Giants are averaging 2.2 yards a carry and only 36.5 rushing yards a game. The inability to run the football is destroying every tenet upon which the Giants" offense is built. An effective running game on first and second downs not only puts the Giants in attainable third-down situations, it allows Eli Manning to make credible play-action fakes in the backfield, a necessity for downfield passing. In a quiet Giants locker room, Manning said, in effect, on Monday that opposing teams were unaffected by his play fakes. The Giants are wasting time trying them. Before the snap, the defense has already aligned itself to play the pass and ignore the feeble running attack. "If you're not running the ball well, they can keep the safeties very deep," Manning said. It's not really a play-action situation. And when the Giants get nowhere on the ground on first and second downs, even a top-level quarterback like Manning becomes overmatched by the defense's strategic advantages. "We had four third downs where it was third-and-13 or more," Manning said. Those are hard to convert. The Giants were also in two third-and-8s, a third-and-9, two third-and-10s and a third-and-11. There is nothing "inside football" about this. It's elementary. But what should worry every Giants fan is whether there is anything the team can do about it before next season. The new starting running back, David Wilson, has yet to show he can run between the tackles. The backup is Brandon Jacobs, who ran for 4 yards on seven carries Sunday and now has 11 rushing yards in 12 carries during his last two N.F.L. seasons. The third back is Da'Rel Scott, a second-year player with promise but little experience. The rushing troubles are not the fault only of those handed the football. As Coach Tom Coughlin said about the running game Sunday, "We're certainly not knocking them back off the ball." An offensive line has often been likened to a clenched fist. Because of injuries, the offensive line has not been together as a unit to deliver many punches. And there may be bigger concerns than continuity. The preseason starter at right tackle, David Diehl, is out with a thumb injury. Center David Baas and right guard Chris Snee are coming off injuries. Right tackle Justin Pugh is a rookie. Is a clenched fist even possible at this point? After watching videotape of Sunday's game, left guard Kevin Boothe said on Monday that the blocking problems were not caused by breakdowns up and down the line, but by the failures of different individuals at different times. "We had a number of plays where everything was going right but we had a breakdown in one area," he said. Or as Manning put it: "It's not one guy messing up over and over, and it's not everybody messing up. But like anything else, one breakdown can ruin everything. If the offensive line's problems are not resolved soon, where can the team turn? There are no seasoned veterans waiting in reserve. Diehl will return to the lineup, but he struggled last season as well. And what of Wilson, the closest thing to a savior at running back that the Giants have? Until Andre Brown comes back from his broken leg in mid-November - and in retrospect, Brown's absence has been devastating - Wilson is the only answer. But the 5-foot-9, 205-pound Wilson simply may not be a back in the classic Giants mold. The offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride may have to find ways on first and second downs to get Wilson the ball in unconventional ways, to use his speed and quickness away from the congested middle of the line. "You can find ways to give him the ball and get him in the open field," Manning said. We may need to do that and use him somewhat differently. Manning looked hopeful but concerned, as if he knew what was at stake. The rest of the locker room is waiting, too. "The running game isn't doing well," defensive end Justin Tuck said. And I think that's making Eli press a little. The chemistry isn't clicking right now. But I mean, I have no doubt they'll figure it out. The season probably rests on it.