Takeaways from the Giants' Week 13 Snap Counts vs. Seattle

Let's take a look at the Giants' Week 13 snap counts and what we can learn from them.

I noted this in my 10-points post-game reaction and my Giants Week 13 report card, but it’s worth mentioning again here.

The Giants went with a lot of “heavy” personnel packages, particularly in the second half, which helped the running game.

For proof of that, look at the distribution of snaps given to the tight ends versus the receivers.

Sterling Shepard played in his lowest season total (27) on offense, a clear sign the Giants were going to try to feature the run game to take some of the onus off the Daniel Jones-less passing game.

The plan worked. Although Seattle's offense was on the field for 11 seconds more than the Giants and ran more plays (70 to 55), the Giants outdueled the Seahawks in time of possession in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter with an 8:35 to 6:25 advantage which is yet another underrated stat behind the Giants big upset win.

--Speaking of receivers, Darius Slayton took the bulk of the reps at the position by a long shot. With that said, I wouldn’t read anything into that as in Slayton being the team’s new No. 1 receiver.

I think it’s probably fairer to say, based on what head coach Joe Judge said in his postgame press conference, that the plan was to emphasize the running game more.

--Has left guard Will Hernandez lost his starting job? It sure would appear to be the case given the snap counts and how they've favored Shane Lemieux since Hernandez returned from the COVID-19 list.

But head coach Joe Judge said not to read into any of that.

“I don't really look at any of our players as starters or backups. I look at them as players for our team,” he said. “So, you know, Will's doing a good job when he goes in there, he's making a solid contribution. We kinda just rotate everyone on, through in the offensive line.”

Maybe so, but when someone gets the majority of the snaps over another guy, it’s hard not to wonder, especially since a true “rotation” would mean making more effort to get guys at the same position equal snaps. And it says a lot that Lemieux has now started five games in a row, so make of that what you will.

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--Fullback Eli Penny continues to get an increase in snaps on offense. He got eight against Seattle and now has 49 for the year, with 31 of those snaps coming in his last three games.

--That “heavy” personnel package might be here to stay given how effective it’s been. Tight end Levine Toilolo, who’s been used sparingly on offense, saw 32 saps on offense this week, the second week in a row he’s seen over 30 snaps after mostly seeing between 10-20 earlier in the season.

--This isn't necessarily related to the game, but it took 3,036 offensive snaps for Giants running back Alfred Morris to record his first NFL touchdown reception. That's just mind-blowing.

--I don't know if the Giants have necessarily found their long-term answer at cornerback No. 2 in Isaac Yiadom, but I do know that for throughout most of the winning streak, the four starting defensive backs--Yiadom, corner James Bradberry, and safeties Logan Ryan and Jabrill Peppers--have played together on almost every snap.

That's huge because, much like an offensive line where there's something to be said about continuity, the same argument can be made with a defensive secondary establishing that rapport and lien of communication with one another.

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--Xavier McKinney only got six snaps this week. Barring an injury to either Jabrill Peppers or Logan Ryan, that's probably going to be the case the rest of the season.

I have no problem with that approach either. Ryan and Peppers have been playing light out, and by letting McKinney get a snap here and there, the coaches are letting him get his feet wet for next year.

OFFENSE (56)

RG Kevin Zeitler 56; C Nick Gates 56; LT Andrew Thomas 56; QB Colt McCoy 56; WR Darius Slayton 51; LG Shane Lemieux 42; RT Cameron Fleming 42; TE Evan Engram 40; TE Kaden Smith 37; TE Levine Toilolo 32; RB Wayne Gallman 28; WR Sterling Shepard 27; WR Golden Tate 18; LG Will Hernandez 16; RT Matt Peart 15; RB Dion Lewis 12; RB Alfred Morris 11; FB Eli Penny 10; WR Austin Mack 8; WR CJ Board 3

DEFENSE (72)

CB Isaac Yiadom 72; SS Jabrill Peppers 72; CB James Bradberry 72; FS Logan Ryan 72; ILB Blake Martinez 60; CB Darnay Holmes 56; DL Leonard Williams 50; LB Carter Coughlin 45; FS Julian Love 44; DE Jabal Sheard 41; LB Tae Crowder 39; DE Dexter Lawrence II 37; DT B.J. Hill 32; NT Dalvin Tomlinson 30; DE Niko Lalos 26; NT Austin Johnson 13; LB Cam Brown 10; LB Devante Downs 9; LB David Mayo 6; S Xavier McKinney 6

SPECIAL TEAMS

LB Cam Brown 22; SS Nate Ebner 22; LB David Mayo 20; LB Devante Downs 19; FB Eli Penny 17; TE Levine Toilolo 12; WR CJ Board 12; CB Brandon Williams 9; LS Casey Kreiter 9; FS Julian Love 11; DE Niko Lalos 10; P Riley Dixon 10; LB Tae Crowder 9; LB Carter Coughlin 7; CB Isaac Yiadom 7; DE Dexter Lawrence II 7; CB Madre Harper 6; K Graham Gano 6; SS Jabrill Peppers 5; DB Xavier McKinney 5; NT Dalvin Tomlinson 4; DT Leonard Williams 4; NT Austin Johnson 4; TE Kaden Smith 4; RB Dion Lewis 3; WR Austin Mack 3; RG Kevin Zeitler 2; C Nick Gates 2; LT Andrew Thomas 2; LG Shane Lemieux 2; RT Cam Fleming 2; DT B.J. Hill 2; CB James Bradberry 2; CB Darnay Holmes 2; WR Golden Tate 1

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