Empire Writes Back
Fansided

New York Giants: Rookies’ Franchise First Gives Bright Glimpse Into Future

By Kenneth Teape

facebooktwitterreddit

It has been a disappointing season for the New York Giants overall, but Sunday afternoon none of that mattered. The Giants finally ended their seven-game losing streak, which lasted 62 days, against the Tennessee Titans in convincing fashion 36-7. It was all smiles for a team that needed a win in the worst way. A big reason for the win today was the performance of two Giants rookies, who achieved a franchise first in the process.

The two rookies of note are first round pick Odell Beckham Jr. and fourth round pick Andre Williams. They became the first Giants rookies to eclipse 100 yards receiving and rushing in the same game in the history of the franchise.

For Beckham Jr. it was just another day at the office. He got going early and often, catching five passes for 96 yards in the first quarter alone. The last of those five catches was a 15-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning, his fifth of the season.

More from Empire Writes Back

Beckham Jr. finished the game with another monster performance, catching 11 of his 15 targets for 130 yards and the one touchdown. He also added nine yards on one rush for good measure, and even attempted a pass in the game today. It landed incomplete, but it was impressive to watch him toss the pigskin 60-yards with ease.

This performance for Beckham Jr. is yet another in a string of strong performances that has been punctuated by the amazing catch he made against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football two weeks ago. The 100-yard performance gave him four on the season, which is another Giants rookie record he now possesses. He has surpassed the 90-yard plateau for six consecutive games, and there are no signs of that slowing down.

The usage Beckham Jr. has been receiving should keep the strong performances coming. Beckham Jr. has quickly become the favorite target of Manning, as he had the most targets Sunday afternoon by a large margin; Larry Donnell was second on the team with seven compared to the 15 Beckham Jr. received. Rueben Randle has fallen far behind, and there isn’t much competition right now with Beckham for targets.

Dec 7, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; New York Giants running back Andre Williams (44) rushes against the Tennessee Titans during the first half at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

While Beckham Jr. has received all of the hoopla for the Giants, fellow rookie Williams deserves some recognition, as least for his performance against the Titans. Williams has struggled for most of his rookie season, as he adjusts to a different game than what he faced in college. Williams fell on his face when tasked with being the starting running back when Rashad Jennings was injured earlier in the season, struggling to get anything going and torpedoing the Giants season in the process.

At least for one day though, Williams got some retribution as he tore apart the Titans soft run defense. Williams came into the game with an underwhelming 2.9 YPC number, but it will go up after his performance against the Titans.

With Jennings once again hampered by an injury, the onus would fall upon Williams’ shoulders to carry the load in the backfield. Jennings was active, but the Giants were hoping to use him as little as possible, and their wish came through as Williams took the ball and ran with it, literally and figuratively. Williams rolled up 131 yards on 24 carries, which equaled an average of 5.5 YPC. That includes an impressive 50-yard scamper by Williams, the longest touchdown run in two seasons. It was a career game for Williams, as the rushing yards and carries were both the most of his rookie campaign.

More from New York Giants

The most impressive career-high in the game may be the three receptions that Williams had today. To anyone that has watched or followed the Giants this season, and even from the summer, they have heard the struggles that Williams has as a receiver. In four seasons at Boston College, Williams had only 10 receptions. He just isn’t a strong receiver, but it is something Williams and the Giants coaching staff has been working on. He has improved immensely in the passing game, and in pass protection, something Tom Coughlin and Ben McAdoo have to love seeing.

While it has been a tough year for Big Blue, these two rookies offer plenty of hope and optimism. For one week the losing streak doesn’t matter, but at the end of the season they will look back on missed opportunities and chances they didn’t take advantage of. One thing they will take away from it though is the glimmer of hope Beckham Jr. and Williams provide for the future.

Home/New York Giants