New York Giants Running Game Struggles Against Cowboys

For half a season, the New York Giants running game became the face of the team's offensive identity.

Led by Saquon Barkley, the Giants rushing offense averaged a whopping 173.4 yards per game in its first seven contests, the team posting a 6-1 record in that span. But in its last four games, including Thursday's 28-10 loss to the Cowboys, the Giants running game has averaged 112 yards on the ground per game while posting a 1-3 record.

The drop in production likely ties into a couple of factors. First, Barkley has been dealing with a shoulder issue that has seen his carries dip to 26 over the last two weeks. But more importantly, teams appear to have figured out how to slow down Barkley and the Giants running game, the Cowboys being the latest to accomplish that.

"Yeah, we didn’t get a lot going," head coach Brian Daboll said after the game. "We averaged three-and-a-half yards or something like that? I thought (offensive coordinator) Mike (Kafka) had a good plan coming out the way he did, getting Daniel on the move a little bit and trying to loosen him up, but never really got anything going, not getting any explosives. Gary (Brightwell) had a couple toward the end, but we’ve certainly got to clean that up."

Quarterback Daniel Jones didn't have any answers after the game regarding what the Cowboys did to slow down the running game, but he was quick to credit the opponent.

“You’ve got to give credit to them. They are a good front. They’re a good defense. They did a good job.”

Left tackle Andrew Thomas, part of a Giants offensive line that saw three new starters this week, said the offensive line needed to be better against that Cowboys front.

“We just have to do a better job with technique because we run the ball so well sometimes -- we get a lot more run-starts and pressures and twists – we need to do a better job communicating and picking it up,” he said.

However, Barkley, a team captain, said that it falls on him.

"I have to do a better job. I have to go back, watch film and see what I can do better, and I can give you a better answer," he said. "But off the first thought process, if the running game is not working, it starts with the running back. I have to get better there too.”

Daboll, however, didn't place the blame on any one individual.

"I’d say, with the run game, everybody needs to do better. It’s not always going to be clean. There’s going to be some ones, some twos. We’ve been missing some bigger plays that usually help in the run game," he said.

"We just haven’t popped through there. The blocking, running, the design. We’ve got to do a better job all the way around, I’d say, with the run game. Coaching it, executing it. We’ve got a lot to improve. That’s certainly one of them."

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