Giants Country

Steelers Keying on Daniel Jones’ Rushing Impact in Giants' Offense

Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin spoke about the designed runs element of the quarterback’s game and how it is helping the Giants offense.

Stephen Lebitsch

Oct 20, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) runs past Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) during the first half at MetLife Stadium.
Oct 20, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) runs past Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
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New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has been criticized over the past few weeks for his lack of consistency while commanding the offense through the air. Still, an underestimated component of his efforts is gaining attention from his Week 8 opponent.

The Giants' sixth-year gunslinger has been on both sides of some pretty lopsided passing performances through seven games of the 2024 season. It started with the ugly home debut against Minnesota when he completed just 52.4 percent of his throws and threw two interceptions that set the entire offense back a few scores. 

Then, in Weeks 3 through 6, Jones flipped the switch for three 200+ yard passing outings with a completion rate as high as 72.5 percent, four touchdowns, and only two interceptions. The Giants' offense was flowing well behind him, especially in Seattle, when he connected with five different receivers for 257 yards and finished with his season-high passer rating of 109.6.

It has all come crashing back down in the two games since then, with the Giants losing two offensive disasters that scored just ten combined points at home and Jones posting just 14 completions for 99 yards against the Eagles average defense, his worst line in a full game since the 2022 season. 

At the same time, a separate element of his recent performances has been gaining momentum, and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomkin is focusing on it in anticipation of their matchup on Monday Night Football.

Tomlin, whose team is 5-2 ahead of the contest, sees the dual-threat trend in Jones’ game and is making sure his team is prepared to respect it on the gridiron. 

“When you look at their offense, it starts with Daniel Jones and, for us, the many ways that they can utilize his talents,” Tomlin told reporters earlier this week. 

“The designed run has caught my attention, particularly because he is coming off of an injury. I don’t know that I expected to see as much design running from him and them in 2024 as I have seen, but he is a very talented guy in that area.”

The Giants have kept no secrets about Jones and his ability to gauge opposing defenses with his legs. In his tenure with New York, the 27-year-old has 382 career carries for 2,098 yards (5.5 average) and 13 rushing touchdowns, with three seasons holding at least two scores on the ground, including his high of 7 during a record-setting year in 2022.

Jones is currently the Giants' third-best rusher with 50 carries for 184 yards (3,7 average) and an average of 26.3 yards per game. With the offense not always looking strong in the passing realm, they have relied on their quarterback’s jolt to create yardage and keep drives going, as evidenced by Jones’s 15 first downs collected on designed keepers.

A good chunk of the action has come through scrambles where Jones has displayed a good pocket presence to evade pressures and get upfield to preserve plays with positive yardage. He has rallied 57 yards on 11 rushes in that direction and has been successful in space with 40 yards after contact and two missed tackles forced. 

However, Jones hasn’t shied from gashing opponents within the tackles. Per PFF, he has sneaked the ball six times behind his improved offensive line, which ranks ninth in run block win rate. His two other big areas of attack have been to the left of the center and the right edge off of heavy packages, where he’s taken the ball a combined 14 times for 60 yards and 28 after contact. 

Jones is playing with a brand of seemingly unshakable confidence thanks to the pieces protecting him up front. The impact on the Giants' run game is starting to show in a much-needed way that opponents like the Steelers must account for. 

“The quarterback draws, the quarterback counters, and the zone read keeps are a major component of what they do now,” Tomlin said. “And (stopping it) is simply a mathematics thing, if you will.”

“If you got a guy in the middle of the field, which usually we do in Minkah, and they’re using the quarterback to run, they’re essentially playing 11 on 10. And so, we got to go and defeat blocks.”

How much Jones will continue to contribute to rushing remains to be seen every week, especially in light of the risk for injury that comes with his history. In two of the last three seasons, he has picked up over 500 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, but it has led to sustaining a couple of the neck ailments that have plagued the success of his career as a quarterback and kept him on the sidelines for 17 games in that same span. 

In addition, Jones and the Giants offense will face off with a Pittsburgh defense that isn’t too far behind theirs when slowing down that part of the game. The Steelers boast the league’s best interior gap stuffer in defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, who has a 47 percent run stop win rate and 26 percent success rate against double teams, and are positioned 13th in team run stop win rate of 31 percent, four notches below New York’s unit. 

More broadly, the Steelers rank in the top 10 regarding opponents’ rushing attempts, yards, touchdowns, and average yards per attempt allowed. They’ve held some of the best running backs in the sport to minuscule numbers, including just 38 yards to Breece Hall in their 37-15 win over the New York Jets last Sunday, and will likely force the Giants to have to discover their aerial attack again if they want to have a chance to win the game. 

Still, the team isn’t sleeping on Jones’ growing tendency to lead the charge on designed runs. They will be keying into that to slow down the offense for another potential stinker of a performance they can’t afford with the season fading away.  

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Stephen Lebitsch
STEPHEN LEBITSCH

“Stephen Lebitsch is a graduate of Fordham University, Class of 2021, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications (with a minor in Sports Journalism) and spent three years as a staff writer for The Fordham Ram. With his education and immense passion for the space, he is looking to transfer his knowledge and talents into a career in the sports media industry. Along with his work for the FanNation network and Giants Country, Stephen’s stops include Minute Media and Talking Points Sports.

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