Giants look to get running game, winning ways back on track
Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants runs with the ball against the Houston Texans at MetLife on Sunday, Nov 13, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey Credit: Mike Stobe
The Giants’ formula for success in 2022 does not require advanced knowledge of football analytics.
They must run the ball effectively, primarily behind Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones, or else.
After exceeding 100 yards rushing in six of their first seven games, they have rushed for fewer than 100 in three of their past four.
Their record in those three games is 0-3. Barkley’s rushing totals in the three games: 53, 22 and 39. Jones’ rushing totals in the three games: 20, 50 and 14.
The Commanders, whom the Giants will host on Sunday, rank eighth in rushing yards allowed, so this will be no easy task — but the Giants do not have much choice as they try to snap a two-game skid.
Their wide receiver-challenged passing game is a modest threat, at best. (Their top receiver for now, Darius Slayton, battled an illness late in the week but is expected to play.)
“It’s getting back to the basics,” Barkley said of restoring the rushing attack that carried the team to a 6-1 start. “It starts with me, continuing to trust the system.”
All season, defenses have had extra defenders focus on Barkley and lately have done the same with Jones to limit him as a rushing threat.
“That’s the way we won games this year, so a lot of teams are going to come in and try to stop that,” Barkley said. “That’s going to be a focal point. But there have been teams prior to the past two weeks where that was a focal point and we won.”
It should help to get right tackle Evan Neal back from a knee injury. He’ll play for the first time since Oct. 23.
“Evan, he’s a house,” Barkley said. “He’s a freak of nature. He’s a heck of a player. Obviously, he’s young. He’s a rookie. But you couldn’t tell that when he’s in the game.”
Having Neal and left tackle Andrew Thomas in place will be extra-important this week because the Washington front four features four former first-round draft picks, and it shows in their performance.
That includes Chase Young, the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020, who has missed 20 games because of an ACL injury. He is listed as questionable.
“They’re all very different from a skill-set standpoint,” Giants offensive line coach Bobby Johnson said of Montez Sweat, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen and Young.
“As a group, you see a very productive, very disruptive, very talented front . . . Each guy creates his own set of issues individually. But as a collective whole, they’re problematic.”
Said Thomas: “Their front seven is very disruptive, talent all over the place. Not just that, they play physical. They run to the ball. So we have to be prepared for that.”
This is a pivotal game for the Giants (7-4). They would fall into last place in the NFC East with a loss to the Commanders (7-5), who have won six of their last seven.
While Washington takes next week off, the Giants will host the first-place Eagles. The Commanders and Giants will meet again the following weekend.
The good news for the Giants is that after their loss to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving with a severely depleted roster, a number of injured players have a good chance of returning on Sunday, helped by the long break between games.
They will need all the help they can get to take a season that began with great promise and turn it back in the right direction.
“We’re fired up, ready to go,” Jones said. “It’s a division game — a meaningful game in December. This is where you want to be. These are the games you want to play in. We’re all fired up and can’t wait to get out there.”
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
