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What could be some of the 'drastic' changes coming for the Giants?

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Changes are a-coming. This week, they might be more noticeable than a few more snaps for running back Orleans Darkwa or a slightly altered game plan.

The New York Giants might actually be thinking bigger after a 24-10 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 2. For the second straight week, the Giants struggled on offense and lost in disturbing fashion.

They play on the road Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

"Yeah, we can't keep doing the same thing over and over again," coach Ben McAdoo said on his Tuesday conference call. "That's insanity. It's not working. So we are going to look to make some changes this week, like we did last week.

"Maybe it will be a little more drastic this week, to use your word. If that means me giving up playcalling duties, that's something we will look at, that we'll talk about. For personnel, jobs are won in this league, they are not given away. So somebody's got to win a job or take a job to get a job."

The playcalling

McAdoo appears open to the possibility of relinquishing playcalling duties. Now let's see if he follows through.

McAdoo watched as his mentor, Packers coach Mike McCarthy, gave up playcalling responsibilities in 2015 only to take them back in December of the same season. It makes McAdoo's reluctance understandable, but his results speak volumes.

The Giants have averaged 17.7 points in the 19 games since McAdoo took over as head coach. They averaged 25 points over the two years when he was the offensive coordinator.

Maybe the burden of double-dipping as head coach and playcaller is too much to handle. McAdoo admitted last season that as the head coach he's busy putting out fires every day. That has to take away from his attention to detail with the offense.

McAdoo and the Giants will play this one close to the vest. To McAdoo, letting the opponent know in advance about such a move would be a competitive advantage. The Giants won't give that to the Eagles. He'll sidestep this question throughout the week, but having offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan take over the playcalling seems realistic.

Offensive line

The left tackle job still appears to belong to Ereck Flowers.

"Absolutely," McAdoo said when asked if he intended to have Flowers as the Giants' left tackle going forward.

Flowers has the Giants' public support, no matter the extent of his problems. He allowed three sacks Monday night.

"Ereck is a young player. He did some good things in the ballgame [Monday]," McAdoo said. "He gets singled out and that's the way it goes in this league. Again, the breakdowns are spread out. It's not just one player making breakdowns."

So what can the Giants do to improve their offensive line as a whole? The other options at left tackle are undrafted rookie Chad Wheeler and Justin Pugh, but they're long shots to replace Flowers at this point. If Bobby Hart's ankle remains a problem -- he lasted just two plays vs. the Lions -- expect Pugh at right tackle and Brett Jones at left guard.

It would be Jones' first start of the season, though he played the majority of the game Monday night.

The Giants have confidence in Pugh at right tackle. They thought he battled against the Lions and can't take any chances against the strong defensive front of the Eagles. Jones also appears to remain the first reserve option ahead of D.J. Fluker, who is currently buried on the bench.

Running game

Darkwa saw more action in the normal down-and-distance flow of the game against the Lions. His first run went for 11 yards midway through the second quarter, and he didn't touch the ball again until the start of the third. It was quite similar to the opener, when he ran for 12 yards in the second quarter and didn't get another carry until late in the second half.

This might actually be the week that Darkwa gets featured. McAdoo has confidence in second-year back Paul Perkins, but the disparity so far has been significant: Perkins, 1.9 yards per carry; Darkwa, 5.2 YPC.

"We evened out the reps and we have confidence in Paul, we have confidence in Orleans," McAdoo said. "Orleans had a couple cleaner looks in the ballgame [Monday]."

Darkwa vs. Perkins is likely one of the many personnel competitions that will be taking place this week at practice. Usually in-season practices are primarily to prepare for that week's opponent. This week there might be more internal competition than normal.

Game plan

Don't be surprised to see the Giants show lots of new things on offense. The playbook could be emptied Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia. The tempo could be increased.

McAdoo talked plenty about the offense needing rhythm. In the past he has gone to the no-huddle often to try jump-starting the offense. That seems a likely wrinkle to help produce some points and easy completions.

"We have to go out and we have to find a way to put points on the board, move the chains and possess the ball," McAdoo said. "We have enough talent in the building to do it. It's my job to make sure it gets done."

It's also his responsibility to make the requisite drastic changes to jump-start this offense that has been hard to watch in the first two weeks of the season.