There’s no denying how impressed a few of the Giants were when they hit the remote Monday night and watched the Panthers’ running game totally obliterate a quality Buccaneer defense.
“It was outstanding,” running back Derrick Ward said. “I’ve been in the league five years and I’ve never seen that before from two running backs in the same game. It was nice to see what running backs can do in this league.”
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There was a time not long ago when the Giants’ backs generated exploits similar to those created by DeAngelo Williams (186 yards) and Jonathan Stewart (115), who combined for four rushing touchdowns and helped the Panthers amass 299 rushing yards.
“I was jealous watching Carolina run the ball like that,” center Shaun O’Hara said. “We used to do that, back in the day we were good, right?”
Right. The pulverizing Giants ground game has not surfaced for nearly a month. Back on Nov. 2, the Giants shredded the Cowboys for 200 rushing yards, embarking on an incredible stretch that continued with 207 rushing yards in Philadelphia and, for a resounding finish, a 207-yard masterpiece against the vaunted Ravens run defense. The offensive line and the trio of runners, Brandon Jacobs, Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw, were in such harmony that it appeared no one could stop them.
Since then, the Giants have rushed for 87, 108 and 88 yards. They won in Arizona and Washington because Eli Manning was able to make the opposing defenses pay for such extra attention against the run with effective passing performances. The party stopped with last week’s 20-14 loss to the Eagles. The Giants are anxious to reclaim their running prowess.
“We’ve had a couple of down weeks as far as running the ball and we need to get back to what we do best,” Ward said.
It looks as if they will have to do so without Jacobs, their leading rusher with 1,002 yards and 12 touchdowns. It came as no surprise that Jacobs, who is nursing an injured left knee, did not participate in yesterday’s practice after he was forced out of the loss to the Eagles.
This has been an ongoing problem. Although Tom Coughlin said Jacobs “is a little bit better,” it appears unlikely that he will play Sunday against the Cowboys at Texas Stadium.
“We’ll do the smart thing, the thing which is medically recommended,” Coughlin said.
Jacobs initially hurt his knee Oct. 5 against the Seahawks, played through the problem, but made the situation worse in the Nov. 16 game against the Ravens. Jacobs sat out the following week in Arizona and has not looked like himself the past two games.
“Just the competitive nature in me, I want to be out there and play,” Jacobs said. “Rest would make it all better. It’s just something that keeps nagging and nagging, by me going out and playing on it for seven weeks didn’t make it any better.”
The Giants (11-2) have already clinched the NFC East title and can secure a first-round bye with a victory Sunday in their final game at Texas Stadium, which is closing after this season. Their next game, against the Panthers at Giants Stadium, will probably decide the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Sitting Jacobs in this one makes sense.
“I wish I could be out there,” Jacobs said, “but we have a playoff run we need to make coming up and I want to be healthy for that as well.”
Ward will have to shoulder the heavy load, which he did very well early last season starting in place of an injured Jacobs. Ward stepped in this season against the Cardinals and rushed 20 times for 69 yards. He’s gained 669 yards this season and averages a healthy 4.8 yards per carry. He’s also third on the team with 37 receptions.
“I’m pretty sure the team has faith in me I can get the job done,” Ward said. “I’ve proven I can play in this league, can be a starter in this league and I can get the job done.”