N.Y. Giants: Gearing Up For Sunday's Futility Bowl Versus Jets

From the desk of: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

WEEK NINE

Cowboys   37

Giants       18

FINAL

Although the Jets are paying Leonard Williams the majority of his remaining 2019 salary, Dave Gettleman says he acquired the 25-year old 2015 first round selection with the intention of extending him.  In other words Williams will have potentially cost the Giants a 2020 #3 draft pick, a 2021 conditional pick, and a big chunk of valuable salary cap.  At that price he better be Keith Hamilton and Michael Strahan rolled into one ... just not on Sunday.  In his first game as a member of the Giants Williams made just one solo tackle, and assisted on two others, with no sacks.

In fact the Giants failed to record any sacks, and hit Dak Prescott just five times all night.  In turn, Prescott connected for touchdowns with three different receivers.  But Leonard Williams is better known as a run stopper.  As such Ezekiel Elliot cut through the Giants front seven like a hot knife through butter, gaining 138 yards on 23 rushes.  Add Tony Pollard's 21 yards on three rushes, and the Cowboys backfield trotted for 160 yards.  The Giants actually won time of possession, which is to say the excuse for the defense wearing down doesn't quite jive.  Rather they just aren't that good.

Neither was Daniel Jones.  He was sacked five times, bringing his grand total to 26 sacks in eight games.  More alarming were his seventh and eighth fumbles of the season.  Together with his eighth interception, Daniel has now accounted for 16 turnovers.

Saquon Barkley gained just 28 yards on the ground.  His 14 rushing attempts accounted for just 14% of Pat Shurmur's offensive play calls.  He was targeted for eight passes which account for 19% of Daniel Jones attempts.  However, Saquon's 22 total plays account for 32% of all Giants plays from scrimmage.  Daniel Jones 41 pass attempts account for 60% of all plays from scrimmage.  Most disconcerting were Jones six running attempts for a team leading 54 yards.  That simply should not be.

The Giants face Leonard Williams' former team this coming Sunday at MetLife Stadium.  The Jets hit rock bottom with last week's ponderous loss at Miami, in a sense dethroning the Dolphins as the worst team in football.  If the Giants should lose, does that make them linear Toilet Bowl champions?

Now halfway through the regular season, the Jets remain the NFL's only team to yet exceed 100 points scored.  Both teams feature premiere running backs, but are respectively run by coaches whom have an aversion to rushing the ball.  It's as if both head coaches view their quarterbacks' ability to evade and escape pressure as their primary ground threat.

Ponderous ...

Bring your nose plugs and try and enjoy the game.