Continued success on the ground
The Giants had their strongest overall performance on the ground against Washington last week. The team finished with 166 rushing yards and a touchdown on 35 carries (4.7 avg.). Wayne Gallman led the way with 14 carries for 68 yards (4.9 avg.) and a score, while Alfred Morris was right behind him with 67 yards on nine rush attempts (7.4 avg.). Five other players combined for the remaining 31 rushing yards.
Following a slow start to the season on the ground, the Giants' run game has played well as of late. The offense averaged 56.7 rushing yards per game through the first three weeks. In the six games since, Big Blue is averaging 130.7 rushing yards per game, including four games of 130+ rushing yards. In the last two games, most of that production has come from the running backs, as Daniel Jones has rushed for a combined 24 yards.
The Eagles' defense ranks 10th in the league in total yards allowed, but the area to attack them appears to be on the ground. Philadelphia is 24th in the NFL with its 130.8 rushing yards allowed per game (4.4 avg.). They yielded 115+ rushing yards in six of their first eight games, including their last outing against the Cowboys (133 yards). Jim Schwartz's unit has also given up 11 rushing touchdowns (tied for the sixth-most).
"Wayne, I tell you, he's an explosive guy, he's also good out of the backfield," Eagles head coach Doug Pederson told reporters this week. "It's a good mix of backs that they're using – of course, Devonta [Freeman] is kind of the new addition and picking up the system, but a veteran player along with Dion Lewis. I mean, these guys are three different styles and you've got to be prepared for all of them, and then you throw in Daniel Jones.
"They're doing a lot more of the zone-read with him and I think it's something that has helped their run game, when you have an active quarterback like that that can run. It just adds to your defense – in this case our defense – to be prepared and to just continue to ready keys and be disciplined that way."
Spread the ball around
In the first meeting between these two teams in Week 7, Daniel Jones completed 20 passes for 187 yards to five different players. Sterling Shepard made his return to the field after missing the previous four games with turf toe and led the team with six receptions for 59 yards and a score. Evan Engram caught six passes for 46 yards, while Golden Tate recorded just one reception but made it count, taking it 39 yards for a touchdown. The Giants' other primary pass catcher, Darius Slayton, was held to just two receptions for 23 yards.
In the two games since, the Giants' passing game has seemingly made a stronger effort to get the ball into the hands of more players. Nine different guys caught at least one pass in the team's loss to the Buccaneers in Week 8, including five with at least two receptions. Shepard, Engram, Slayton and Tate combined for 20 receptions for 222 yards and a touchdown. In last week's win over Washington, we saw more of the same as Jones' 23 receptions went to 10 different players. Rookie undrafted receiver Austin Mack led the way in this one, finishing with four receptions for 72 yards, both of which were career-marks.
"He just keeps showing up," Judge said about Mack. "He's a guy that at times he may not flash all the time but does something that just jumps out at you. He just keeps making play after play and he shows up on a regular basis. For a young player, this guy is a smart player, he's an instinctive player. He's a guy that [receivers coach] Tyke [Tolbert] can take at any point in practice and if someone needs to come out for a rep, he just throws him in that position. It doesn't matter what it is. He knows everything on the field. He's very aware of what's going on around him. He understands what his strengths are, he understands what he needs to improve on as a rookie."
The Eagles have allowed 49 receptions to the tight end position this season, the third-most in the league. The 476 yards allowed to the position ranks eighth, while the six receiving touchdowns is tied for the third-most. The unit's production against opposing wide receivers has been much better, limiting wideouts to just 139.6 receiving yards per game, one of the league's best marks.
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