The New York Giants aren’t the only team working on a short week this week as the San Francisco 49ers are operating under the same time constraints.
The major difference is the travel involved for both teams, with the 49ers having less travel to overcome. But the Niners aren’t overlooking the Giants with head coach Kyle Shanahan expressing that Daniel Jones presents a ‘huge challenge” to his defense.
“Huge challenge. It starts with his legs,” Shanahan told reporters this week. “Anytime you have that speed and you can run the ball like he does. They’re willing to run him. He’s willing to run. He’s physical when he runs. He’s got the skill set to run away from people. So anytime you have a quarterback like that, the challenge that does just schematically, unlocking your defense and making you have to play a certain way is always a pain.”
It’s interesting to hear opposing coaches refer to Jones as a ‘pain,’ but when you look at the rest of what Shanahan said, it makes more sense.
“Then, he has the ability to play in the pocket and beat you that way, too. He’s getting better each year. We’ve all really loved him coming out, and one of the main reasons he took them to the playoffs last year. He played unbelievably well in that second half on Sunday,” he said.
The Giants better be paying attention. The Niners know the boys in blue will be without Saquon Barkley and need to rely on others to run the ball. The Giants have Matt Brieda and Gary Brightwell to fill in for Barkley, but they also have Jones.
One key to victory is being creative in the run game. This can mean play-action, running backs taking direct snaps, or even designed QB runs. There are plenty of options as long as Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka are willing to think outside the box and take some risks.
They’re on the road, it’s a short week and they are down one star running back. If they can stretch the field, getting creative in the run game becomes a much easier task.
The Giants must use Jones’ versatility against the Niners. Shanahan admits that facing him is challenging, so make that ring true. Frustrating the defense only furthers the Giants’ ability to do what needs to be done to win.
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