How will the Rashad Jennings injury affect the New York Giants?
In his first NFL season as a true starter, Rashad Jennings was absolutely killing it.
The 29-year-old running back came alive in Week 3 vs. the Houston Texans, racking up 176 rushing yards and a touchdown on 34 carries. That career day helped Jennings to rank fifth in the league in rushing, with 396 yards and two rushing scores.
All was well for Jennings and the New York Giants. They were riding a two-game winning streak and playing the Atlanta Falcons at home when the injury bug bit. What resulted was a sprained MCL in that 30-20 win over the Falcons, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.
Per the ESPN reporter, it’s speculated that Jennings will be out of action for a few weeks, with a possible return in Week 9 following Big Blue’s Bye week in Week 8.
Additionally, the New York Daily News’ Ralph Vacchiano points out that the Giants shouldn’t be looking to rush their starter back onto the field.
Another reason for the Giants not to rush RB Rashad Jennings back. He's already carried 91 times. That's nearly 56% of his career high (163)
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) October 6, 2014
So where does that leave New York, now at 3-2 and heading into a difficult part of the schedule?
Let’s examine.
Week 6: at Philadelphia Eagles (4-1)
The Giants’ offense will of course miss the pounding running style of Jennings, but there’s still an opportunity for New York to win this game on the ground.
Philadelphia owns the NFL’s No. 28 rushing defense, surrendering 132 rushing yards a game. That plays into the Giants’ strength, as rookie RB Andre Williams has found the end zone twice this season and amassed 65 ground yards against Atlanta in Jennings’ place.
Williams, like Jennings, runs with authority and almost looks like he’s trying to tackle opposing defenders when coming straight at them–Philly’s defense will have trouble with the bowling ball-style running of Williams.
The G-Men should be looking to take advantage of Philly’s soft passing defense as well, as the Eagles rank 30th in pass defense and have allowed an NFL-high 13 passing touchdowns.
We all remember Eli Manning’s five-touchdown performance against the Washington Redskins a couple of weeks ago, right?
Even without Jennings, I think the Giants go into the Linc and come out with a win on Sunday night.
Week 7: at Dallas Cowboys (4-1)
Big Blue’s defense will be handed the difficult task of containing the NFL’s leading rusher in DeMarco Murray in Week 7 vs. the Dallas Cowboys, but the Cowboys’ defense will have their hands full as well.
We already discussed the success Andre Williams has had on the ground this season, and Dallas’ defense ranks tied for the 20th-worst against the run, allowing more than 120 yards per game in the rushing department.
Staying with that defensive trend, opponents have also found success through the air against the ‘Boys, with their defense ranking No. 22 in the NFL against the pass.
For the Giants, a win here hinges on the defense’s ability to stop Murray, but it also depends on Andre Williams and Peyton Hillis’ effectiveness on the ground.
If I had to pick the winner of this game right now–obviously not knowing how New York plays against Philadelphia yet–I’d have to go with Dallas because of that running game.
The loss of Jennings obviously hurts the Giants, but it’s not a devastating blow. The Giants will weather the storm through their next two divisional games and then head into their bye in Week 8 hopefully knowing that Jennings will be back in the backfield come Week 9 against the Indianapolis Colts.
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