Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles are traveling up the New Jersey Turnpike to MetLife Stadium next week. In early September, that felt like a game the Giants (2-3) had ample reason to dread.
But if Brian Daboll’s team beats the Cincinnati Bengals (1-4) on Sunday Night Football with rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. leading the way for a second straight week, the Giants will strut into that NFC East rivalry clash with their heads held high.
Tracy’s emergence as a fifth-round pick — if he produces like this consistently — not only could serve to justify GM Joe Schoen’s philosophy to limit his resources invested in the running back position. The Purdue product also could become one of those building blocks the Giants have been missing in recent years, a player who promises a better future and not just a slightly improved present.
“That’s the biggest thing,” Tracy told the Daily News this week. “I want them to understand every time you give me the ball, it’s gonna be something positive.”
Tracy, 24, was biding his time early this season while slotted behind veteran Devin Singletary on the depth chart. But when Singletary (groin) missed last Sunday’s game in Seattle, Tracy exploded onto the scene with 18 carries for 129 yards at a 7.2 yards per carry clip.
He set a new Giants record for the most rushing yards in his first career start, snapping Andre Brown’s mark of 113 yards in 2012. And he became the first NFL rookie running back since the Chiefs’ Kareem Hunt in 2017 to average more than 7.0 yards per carry on at least 15 rushes in his first career start.
Singletary is questionable for Sunday night’s game against Cincinnati, and there is a good chance he will miss a second straight game. Even if he plays, Tracy is expected to receive the bulk of the carries again, and that presents a huge opportunity for another big outing for the rookie.
The Bengals’ defense ranks 30th out of 32 teams against the run (151.4 yards allowed per game) and 31st in total points surrendered (29.0 per game). At minimum, that should mean the Giants will score their first touchdown at MetLife Stadium this season, after failing to get in the end zone their first two home games against Minnesota and Dallas.
The long-term picture if Tracy keeps producing, though, is more important than what he does now.
Rookie receiver Malik Nabers (concussion), although he is out a second straight game, looks like a star who will help elevate the Giants in the next several years, regardless of who his quarterback or coach is. If Tracy emerges as reliable and consistent, that could create some genuine excitement about this skill group’s ability to threaten defenses weekly.
Tracy’s contributions already are improving the outlook of the running back room as a whole.
Singletary, 27, is not a bell-cow running back, even though Schoen is paying him $5.5 million per year and Daboll has used him that way so far. He is ideally a solid veteran complement, a 1B to another player’s 1A.
But the Tracy-Singletary tandem works. It gives the offense more options and properly utilizes both player’s skill sets.
“We’ve said all along we’re confident in our whole group and all the guys we got,” quarterback Daniel Jones said. “We’ve got a deep, deep room in all the skill positions. We have a lot of guys who can make plays. When we say we have confidence in them, it’s not just lip service. We really do.”
The challenge Sunday night will be to score and keep pace with Cincinnati’s offense. Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals are scoring 28 points per game, tied for fourth in the NFL, compared to the Giants’ 17.8 points per game average.
Starting Giants left guard Jon Runyan Jr., the tip of the spear of the rushing attack in Seattle, has been sick this week. So if he’s not close enough to full strength, that could present a problem.
The Giants rank third in the NFL in time of possession (32:22), though, compared to Cincy coming in at 25th (28:35). If Tracy can keep picking up first downs, generating explosives and giving the Giants offense long possessions and favorable looks, that’s a recipe for a victory.
That’s how the Giants can position themselves to welcome the Eagles next week with true, earned confidence in their new crew, rather than dwelling on the decision to let Barkley walk.
“It’s about three seconds of blocking,” Tracy said with a smile. “Ever since high school really, I’ve been telling my O-line, ‘Hey, bro, if you can just block three seconds, I’ll be in and out. I’m not asking for you to get pancakes or nothing. I’m just asking to hold him up for three seconds. And I’ll make sure ya’ll boys look good.”
