By now the narrative is a little tired: the Giants looked horrendous in the first two weeks of the season, and have done a complete 180 and have looked great during the last two weeks. Strong offensive line play has been at the heart of the offensive part of the turnaround, allowing Eli Manning enough protection, and allowing the running backs gaping holes to run through.
Thursday night, the Washington Dan Snyders’ defense looked helpless against Big Blue’s running game, with both Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams posting good games.
Williams specifically had the best game of his young career, carrying 16 times for 66 yards and his first career touchdown. Williams finally showed that speed and power combination that made him such a force while at Boston College. He also showed that his acceleration leaves quite a bit to be desired, but once the Freight Train gets going he is tough to stop.
Heck, the Dan Snyders had such a tough time containing the Giants that Peyton Hillis got his first carries of the season, going for 31 yards on eight tries.
Updated season stats:
Rushes | Yards | EYAR | TDs | DVOA | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rashad Jennings | 81 | 341 | 461 | 2 | 15.5% |
Andre Williams | 21 | 105 | 141 | 1 | -2.8% |
Peyton Hillis | 8 | 31 | 28 | 0 | -7.6% |
Team RB Totals | 110 | 477 | 630 | 3 | -4.3% |
As always, head to footballoutsiders.com for explanations on the advanced stats.
There’s no doubt that the team has looked much better as of late, but of course with this success, you must keep in mind the context of the Giants last two opponents. Yes, the Texans are awful, ranking 29th against the run in the NFL according to DVOA, but the Dan Snyder’s have actually been good defending the ground game, ranking 5th in DVOA against the run.
This Sunday’s matchup with the Atlanta Falcons could see another stellar game on the ground for the Giants, as the Falcons rank 27th in DVOA against the run this season.
As much as I am a fan of fast-paced offense and getting the passing game going, the way the Giants are going to win this Sunday is to just pound it on the ground and keep the ball away from Matt Ryan and Julio Jones as much as possible. With the way that the Giants have been running, and how bad the Falcons have been against the run, it seems like there’s a good chance of that happening.
Joe Vasile is a play-by-play announcer residing in Paramus, NJ. He is the voice of Wilkes University Football and Basketball for ESPN Radio in Williamsport, PA.