Super Bowl 2012: Why the Giants Run Game Must Rely on Ahmad Bradshaw, Not Jacobs

The New York Giants' run game was the worst in the league in the 2011 regular season, averaging 89.2 yards per game. This was in spite of the fact that the Giants have one of the better running back tandems in the league, with Ahmad Bradshaw the more elusive, outside runner and Brandon Jacobs the north-south, between-the-tackles bruiser.

Some of the reason for the shift away from the run game has been the success of quarterback Eli Manning and his three receivers: Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham. Further, both Bradshaw and Jacobs have been heavily involved in the passing game this season.

Just comparing the numbers for the two backs from 2010 to 2011 shows a Giants squad more and more reliant on Manning's arm. Bradshaw had 276 carries in 2010 for 1,235 yards, while, in 2011, he had just 171 carries for 659 yards.

Jacobs ended 2011 with more carries than he had in 2010—147 last year, to 152 this year—but his yardage is significantly lower, with 571 in 2011 as compared to 823 in 2010.

Both backs have struggled with injuries this season, which has kept their overall production on the lower end, but luckily, the rest of the Giants offense has been performing well enough to compensate.

Considering how vulnerable the New England Patriots' secondary has been this year, the Giants will likely lean on Manning fairly heavily in Sunday's Super Bowl, but that doesn't mean they won't attempt to run the ball.

The Giants have had mixed success on the ground in the playoffs this year, echoing their regular season ups and downs.

Against the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card Round, they had 172 total yards of rushing offense, but just 95 (and also a touchdown) against the Green Bay Packers the following week. In the NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers and their top-ranked run defense, they managed just 85 total yards on the ground.

If the Giants want to run the ball with any success, they'll likely need to rely on Bradshaw and not Jacobs to do so. For Jacobs to gain more than a yard or two at a time, he will need to blow past Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork or hope that his offensive line can keep Wilfork occupied. That's a pretty tough task to manage through four quarters of the most important football game of the year, doubly so considering the postseason that Wilfork has had, with nine total tackles and 2.5 sacks in two games.

Instead, Bradshaw should prove more useful to the Giants' rushing efforts. If he can get outside, he has a better chance of eluding the Patriots' tacklers than does Jacobs running up the middle.

Bradshaw's running efforts won't likely be anything close to the centerpiece of the Giants' overall offensive game plan. However, he's going to find himself in situations when he needs to gain a first down.

Manning might be better served throwing screen passes to both Bradshaw and Jacobs in this game rather than relying on them to consistently gain yards and first downs on the ground. However, if they need to get something going by running the ball, look for Bradshaw to have a relatively easier go of things than Jacobs.