New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings: What Changes Should Be Made on Offense?

As the New York Giants prepare to face the Minnesota Vikings in a win-or-go-home playoff game, the offensive coaching staff will look back at their previous matchup and see if there are elements of the Week 16 game plan that they can exploit once again on Wild Card Weekend.

One such tweak could involve the deployment of running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley finished the regular season fourth in the NFL in rushing with 1,312 yards. That number eclipses his rookie season as the best of his career.

Of the top four rushers in the NFL, Barkley is the only back to carry the ball less than 300 times. For as productive as he was this season, there were games where he was not utilized as much as he probably could have been.

In their Week 16 game against Minnesota, Barkley was able to rush for 84 yards and a touchdown. That total was two yards more than his season average, yet he achieved it on four fewer carries than his season average of 18. Barkley only carried the ball seven times in the first half and seven times in the second.

So why the sparse use when his production was so high? Only offensive coordinator Mike Kafka can answer that , and he was more content with toting the "doing what's in the best interest of the team" line than divulging his reasons when asked about it in the days after the game.

But make no mistake about it. Barkley needs to carry the ball more. This is not just for the benefit of the offense but the defense's benefit. It will be important for the Giants to win time of possession because it will help limit the number of snaps the Vikings offense gets to run.

The Vikings were able to score 17 points in the fourth quarter thanks in part to a five-play Giants drive that ended with an interception, a six-play drive that resulted in a field goal, and a three-play drive where they had a punt blocked. That allowed the Vikings to stretch a three-point lead to eight points. Barkley only carried the ball two times during that time.

Daniel Jones was also quiet as a rusher in that first game. The quarterback has become a vital part of the run game, averaging 5.9 yards per carry this season. That resulted in 708 total yards on the ground.

Only Justin Fields (Bears), Lamar Jackson (Ravens), Josh Allen (Bills), and Jalen Hurts (Eagles) rushed for more yards than Jones at the quarterback position.

Against the Vikings, Jones was 3.5 carries shy of his normal 7.5 carries per game, and his 34 rushing yards were 15 yards less than his average. The lack of attempts for Jones and Barkley can be traced directly to Jones’ 42 pass attempts.

Kafka told reporters this week that just because they threw the ball so much in the first meeting doesn't necessarily mean they will do so again this weekend.

"Every week is a little bit different," he said. "We got to make that we go through our process on evaluating what our guys do best, go through our game plan, and make sure we have enough stuff for our guys to attack them, whether it’s inside, outside, down the field, short, intermediate. You’ve just got to cover your bases and make sure you have complimentary stuff from stuff that you’ve done and stuff that you’re good at."

Even with success, they could see it took away from a game plan that would allow them to limit the Vikings' best asset, their offense.

This game, with the players understanding they have an entire off-season to rest and heal their bodies, should come with the expectation of the Giants deploying more of Barkley and Jones on the ground than the combined 18 carries they received in the regular season when they visited Minnesota.

It would not be surprising to see many inside-zone read plays from the Giants this time. Those utilize Barkley's vision and force the defense to account for Jones in their run fits. If they don't respect Jones as a runner, he's proven that he can make them pay with big-chunk plays that keep the chains moving.

This play shows the capabilities of this run offense when everything is in sync.

This inside zone read gives Barkley a punch lane and a cutback because the DE must account for Jones. pic.twitter.com/RArWl94HLh
— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) January 11, 2023

The offensive line gets hat-on-a-hat at the first and second levels. The backside end is left unblocked and is the quarterback's responsibility via the read.

Barkley attacks downhill which allows him to cut in any direction. Thanks to the quality interior blocks, he never needs to leave his track and uses his elite-level explosion to launch through the hole and break a couple of weak arm tackles en route to the end zone.

This second clip shows how effectively the Giants ran inside zone against the Vikings.

This is what the run game could/should look like against Minnesota. A heavy dose of inside zone with some read! Add an RPO action behind it and they could cook all day. pic.twitter.com/1LIewI5Sp3
— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) January 11, 2023

It is not only a play that can be explosive, it can also be used to control the line of scrimmage, keep the defense off balance, and control the tempo or time of possession in the game.

In sum, perhaps the offensive coaching staff was enchanted by the Giants' success in the passing game in that Week 16 game against the Vikings.

One of Minnesota's goals was to keep the ball out of the hands and feet of the team's two most dynamic runners and playmakers, and it worked. Jones put up big numbers through the air while remaining relatively quiet on the ground, and Barkley's lack of touches put a governor on his impact.

This Giants coaching staff won't be fooled again. If they see success with the run, they will continue to exploit it to their advantage and keep the ball out of the hands of an explosive offense.

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