New York Giants First Quarter Season Grades
Rushing Offense Grade: C
Oct 4, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams (94) tackles New York Giants running back Rashad Jennings (23) during the second half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Giants beat the Bills 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
It has not been pretty running the ball for the Giants. Even with the offensive line performing better than anyone could have expected, the Giants trio of Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams and Shane Vereen just isn’t getting the job done.
Jennings looks hesitant running the ball, and some people have speculated that he will be losing his starting job and reps. He is not hitting the hole hard and is tip-toeing in the backfield too much. He does have a highlight play to his credit though, as his 51-yard catch and run against the Bills featured a bone crushing stiff arm en route to the end zone. But, there is very little reason that he should be replaced, as Williams hasn’t done anything to really deserve a bigger role.
Williams still struggles hitting the hole. He runs into the backs of his offensive linemen too often, as he doesn’t have the vision and patience to let things play out before hitting the hole. He is a powerful running back, but it is never really on display cus most of the time he’s powering into the back of a tackle or guard.
Vereen is a distant third on the pecking order for carries, but has the highest yards per carry average at an underwhelming 3.9 per carry, while Jennings comes in at 3.2 and Williams at 3.3. This is something the Giants will have to improve, as their struggles in the run game make it extremely difficult to put teams away. It is also why Manning threw his first interception of the game, as he was asked to pass inside four minutes to play in the game inside the 10-yard line.
The per carry averages aren’t pretty, and this group lacks any big play ability, having only two rushes of 20+ yards on the season. But, the Giants must continue trying as they will not succeed just having Manning drop back and pass the ball 45 times a game. Maybe a change in scheme will get better results, as the Giants are running a lot of plays out of shotgun, which only really Vereen has seen much success in this season.
Next: Passing Defense Grade