The 2020 NFL season is full of surprises thus far and the New York Giants have had their share of them. Here are few interesting trinkets you need to know about this Giants team.
Item: The Giants have rushed for at least 100 yards in six of their 10 games. They are 3-3 when they do, 0-4 when they don’t.
Analysis: What would their record be had Saquon Barkley stayed healthy? Barkley was throttled in the opener by Pittsburgh, then he got hurt the next week in Chicago. The Giants rushed for only 66 yards in Week 3 against San Francisco, but in Week 4 against the Rams, they broke out for 136 yards on the ground. After an 89-yard showing against Dallas in Week 5, they’ve rattled off five straight 100-yard performances, which have led to three victories and two losses by a total of three points. Coincidence? I think not.
Item: Daniel Jones leads the NFL in yards per carry (7.84).
Analysis: When Jones was drafted, he was labeled as Eli 2.0 by some. Those analysts didn’t look at enough tape. Jones played at Duke, a basketball school, against major competition in the ACC and ran for his life quite a bit to survive. That mentality has led to him being more of a weapon with his legs at the next level. Unfortunately, Jones couldn’t complete his big run against the Eagles in the Giants’ 22-21 Week 7 defeat, falling on his face inside the 10 after rambling 80 yards untouched. Jones has been inconsistent as a passer, however, but played error-free the last two weeks, both resulting in Giants’ wins.
Item: Evan Engram is underutilized.
Analysis: A misperception. Engram has been targeted 67 times in the first ten games. Only two other NFL tight ends have more targets — Kansas City’s All-Pro Travis Kelce (80) and the very productive Darren Waller of the Raiders (76). Engram has caught just 38 of those 67 targets for 347 yards with one touchdown. So much for a breakout season. Keep in mind, tight ends run shorter, more high-percentage routes than wide receivers, so they are expected to have a higher catch rate. Engram, between drops and other malfunctions, has not been able to get on track. He’s healthy for the first time in years, too.
Item: Unsung hero Riley Dixon
Analysis: Placekicker Graham Gano is the star of the special teams this year, banging 21 of his 22 field goal attempts and all of his PATs, and that has overshadowed punter Riley Dixon, who is over-performing as well. Dixon is averaging just 41.4 yards per punt (36 attempts) but only 11 of those punts have been returned for 59 yards. Dixon has been excellent in situational punting, however, pinning opponents down deep in their own territory. Dixon is tied with the Rams’ Johnny Hekker for the NFL lead with 21 punts downed inside their opponents’ 20-yard line, a stat that is often understated. As Bill Parcells always said, special teams is one-third of the game and should be treated as such.
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