The Giants’ season-best rushing attack in Seattle coincided with their offense’s highest usage of 11 personnel this season. But it was no coincidence.
With three wide receivers, one tight end and one back on the field, play caller Brian Daboll forced the Seahawks’ defense into a lot of nickel coverage with five defensive backs.
That created advantageous situations for quarterback Daniel Jones to ‘alert’ or ‘check’ to running plays into lighter defensive boxes. And rookie back Tyrone Tracy Jr. and the offensive line did the rest.
“We’re always trying to run into advantageous looks,” Jones told the Daily News Wednesday. “Our coaches do a really good job preparing us for what we’re looking for and what the best looks for certain runs are. But yeah, last Sunday, running out of some 11 personnel and lighter box counts was definitely good for us.”
“I think every week is a little bit different in what the scheme is and what the defense is doing,” the QB added. “But yeah, some of those smaller personnel groups give you a chance to get a better look in the box.”
It’s not rocket science to point out that a defense taking a linebacker off the field for an extra corner can create a mismatch in favor of the offense in the running game.
League-wide, NFL offenses average 4.9 yards per carry in 11 personnel compared to 4.3 yards per carry in 12 and 21 personnel — bigger formations with two tight ends or two running backs, respectively.
It is noteworthy, however, that Daboll’s play-calling and personnel usage has evolved already from Week 1 to Week 5, and that his adjustment from heavier formations to smaller ones — particularly in the running game — helped generate improved production in a big win over the Seahawks.
The 11 personnel package is the Giants’ most popular every week. But they had used it less recently: 55.9% in Week 1 against the Vikings, 64.7% in Week 2 against the Commanders, 55.1% in Week 3 against the Browns and only 50.8% in Week 4 against the Cowboys.
In the Minnesota, Washington and Dallas games, Daboll even had run the ball more often out of 12 personnel — with two tight ends, two receivers and one back — than he did out of 11.
But in Seattle, the Giants ran 77.5% of their offensive plays with three receivers on the field, and they ran the ball 21 times out of that personnel grouping for 133 yards at 6.33 yards per play.
Three of their five biggest runs came out of 11 personnel: Tracy’s 27, 25 and 11-yard runs. And Jones’ 11-yard quarterback run on a read option came out of a four-wide look.
This has been true all season, actually: the Giants have run the ball for more yards in 11 personnel than in 12 in every game this season.
Plus, most of their biggest runs have come with three receivers on the field, including Devin Singletary’s game-sealing 43-yard run against the Browns in Week 3. The same went with Singletary’s 22, 18 and 13-yard runs at Washington, as well as his 7-yard touchdown.
The News asked Daboll on Thursday what he has found in using 11 personnel to maximize his offense, especially in the running game.
“Each defense plays different personnel groups differently,” Daboll said. “So whether it was last week [playing] a little bit more 11 [personnel] or the week before that [using] a little more 12, I think it’s a week-to-week game plan thing.”
So the opponent’s defense and their tendencies, strengths and weaknesses can impact Daboll’s offensive game plan, to be sure.
As middle linebacker Bobby Okereke said, “for other teams it can be a weakness” to have to defend the run out of nickel with three corners on the field, although Okereke considers that a strength for the Giants because they have “corners that can tackle” and other DBs who “can play well and fill [a hole] like a ’backer in the run game.”
It also seemed that Daboll entered this season, though, with a priority on protecting Jones first while his new offensive line gelled. Running the ball and buying time for the quarterback when Daboll did take deep shots were the baseline goals to accomplish against Minnesota.
So Daboll ran 24 of his 68 offensive plays with either two or three tight ends on the field in that season opener, including nine rushes for 30 yards in 12 personnel compared to eight rushes for 41 yards in 11.
But the next week in Washington, the Giants used three receivers more often and ran the ball 13 times for 87 yards and a touchdown out of that 11 personnel, compared to nine times for 42 yards out of heavier packages.
Then Daboll spread the field wider than ever in Seattle, which facilitated 11 Jones carries for 38 yards from the quarterback position in addition to Tracy’s 129 yards on 18 rushes.
It seems like that’s the friendliest formation for a QB, especially one like Jones who can run. Jones said that depends on the game. There are advantages to both heavier and lighter looks.
“I wouldn’t say always,” Jones said. “It’s situational and depending on who you’re playing. There’s certain things playing out of bigger [personnel] can do — and can make a defense more predictive in some ways and make it simpler in other ways. And that’s advantageous and a quarterback wants to play in that, also.”
“It’s hard to say just one or the other,” he said. “But the argument that there’s sometimes more space or more speed on that field, yeah, that can play to your advantage, also.”
Center John Michael Schmitz gave credit to Daboll and the coaches for doing “a great job game-planning” for last week’s attack against the Seahawks.
The plan called for more pre-snap reads and checks by Jones at the line, but the Giants’ QB showed the awareness and intelligence to recognize and make the calls at the line that were necessary to spring some of those big plays.
“We’re all communicating,” Schmitz said of those adjustments. “Especially in that loud environment, we’re making sure everyone’s on the same page when we alert to that. Me and him, we’re both making sure everyone knows what we’re doing.”
Tracy, meanwhile, said a running back does get excited when he sees lighter defensive looks and more space, but he also doesn’t need much room to make a play, either.
“I wouldn’t say my eyes open; I would say there’s a lot of open holes because of the personnel we’re in,” Tracy said. “But I’ve got faith in our offensive line no matter what. If it’s 11 personnel, 12, whatever it may be, 22, whatever it is, I have faith in our offensive line and tight ends to get the job done to make sure they’re opening lanes for us.”
“That’s the main thing: I don’t need a huge lane to run through, even though there were some on Sunday. That’s amazing. I’ll definitely take it,” Tracy said with a laugh. “But I only need 18 inches [of space]. If I can get 18 inches, I’ll squeeze through there and get a positive gain.”
The Giants still only have called plays out of 11 personnel (60.8%) at around the league average (61.8%). That ranks 18th in the NFL and is down from Daboll’s 11 personnel usage in both 2022 (64.3%, 15th in NFL) and 2023 (71.1%, sixth in NFL) when offensive Mike Kafka was the primary play-caller.
That’s because the Giants are above the league average running offensive plays out of both 12 personnel (23.5% Giants to 20.4% NFL) and 13 personnel with three tight ends (6.2% Giants to 3.5% NFL).
But if last week’s win in Seattle was any indication, Daboll will continue to use more three-receiver sets because it gives Jones and the offense more options, in particular on the ground.
NABERS COULD MISS A SECOND GAME
Giants receiver Malik Nabers (concussion protocol) missed a second straight practice on Thursday and did less during the open media portion than he had done on Wednesday.
On Wednesday he had done some running and jogging on the back field with trainers. On Thursday he did some limited work on a stationary bike before standing on the sideline.
Daboll said Nabers was in the “same spot he was in” the day before, meaning there was no progression of his physical work at practice. The coach also acknowledged “it would probably be hard” for Nabers to clear the protocol for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals if he didn’t practice Friday.
So it’s clear Nabers may miss a second straight game with the concussion he sustained in Week 4 against Dallas on Sept. 26.
Left guard Jon Runyan Jr. (illness), edge Kayvon Thibodeaux (wrist surgery) and wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton (shoulder) also didn’t practice. Daboll said he was “hopeful” Runyan would feel better later in the week.
Five players were limited: edge Brian Burns (groin), defensive tackle DJ Davidson (shoulder), corners Adoree Jackson (calf) and Dru Phillips (calf/shoulder) and running back Devin Singletary (groin).
Right guard Greg Van Roten (rest) was back as a full participant.
Daboll said defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has some issue with his eye, but the coach didn’t indicate concern and Lawrence is not on the injury report.
He wore sunglasses in the locker room on Wednesday and had a shield on his helmet Thursday.
