Lex: Giants Make History With Their 23-17 Victory
First time in Giants history that a QB and RB rushed for 100+ yards in a game. It is the Giants franchise’s third such feat by a tandem rushers. Lets take a deeper dive into the hero of the Jacksonville win.
Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones became the third tandem of rushers to each top 100 rushing yards in a game in Giants history, while this is the first time a Giants QB has been one of those players. It’s the third time this season that Barkley has topped the 100-yard rushing mark, who is now averaging 103.7 yards on the ground per game this year for the Giants.
Giants walking off the field 6-1 week seven, others are still claiming that: “The Giants have to play for a full 60 minutes to win games and teetering on the edge of disaster and every drive — offensive and defensive. . . to come away with these close wins.“ ~BigBlue.com.
Giants Have a New Direction From Front Office to Coaching
What’s not being recognized is the new leadership that is driving this franchise in a new direction. With room left for improvement, there is a distinct correlation to this season’s winning performance through the efforts made beginning with head coach Daboll.
Some might say Saquon Barkley’s 100-yard rushing performance made him week seven’s MVP. However, the Jaguars’ focus on containing him allowed Jones to shine as the week’s surprise MVP. He was able to use the gait his height afforded him, along with his agility, to run extended drives. The Jaguars’ mistakes and the Giants’ refusal to leave the field quickly wore down the Jags’ defense well, thus closing the gap on lackluster offensive drives we’ve seen this season.
Big Blue’s Quarterback, Daniel Jones, set career highs with 11 rushing attempts for 107 yards (9.7 avg.). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, his 107 yards on the ground are the fourth-highest total by a QB in Giants history and the most for a Giants QB in 76 years.
He currently ranks fifth in the league with 15 rush attempts of 10+ yards, while his 5.9 yards per carry is tied for the sixth-best mark. Jones also ranks second among quarterbacks with 343 rushing yards, trailing only Lamar Jackson’s 510.
D.J. leads the NFL with five game-winning drives and four fourth-quarter comebacks this season. His 62.6 QBR is sixth in the league.
Jones spoke about one of the team’s primary attributes but also mentioned what he perceives as one of its deficiencies.
“I think there’s just a competitive spirit,” Jones said when asked what makes this team special. “There’s a mental toughness to our group, and regardless of what’s happened earlier in the game or regardless of the situation, we’ve got confidence that we’re going to execute and find ways to win.”
But … “there’s a lot of points in the game, a lot of plays that we would like to have back, to clean up, and hopefully make a couple more plays so we’re not in that situation.”
Prior to Sunday, the most rushing yards by a Giants player with 200+ passing yards in a game was 95 by Jones on Sept. 16, 2021, at Washington. The most passing yards by a player with 100+ rush yards prior to Jones was 72 by Ed Danowski on Nov. 25, 1934 vs. Boston.
D.J.s’ 107 rushing yards increased his season total to 343, the second highest for a Giants quarterback in the Super Bowl era. Jones ran for 423 yards in 2020. Jones has won four consecutive starts for the first time in his career and his six victories this season are a career high; he won five games as a starter in 2020.
Jones leads the NFL with five game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime. He totaled three in his first three seasons.
DJ's dime kicked off Sunday’s win 👏 Film Breakdown: https://t.co/klu3PdOQbu pic.twitter.com/ovIhGmEi86 — New York Giants (@Giants) October 25, 2022