New York Giants Rookies Come Up Huge in 36-7 Win over Titans

New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin might insist every week that he is only worried about the next team on the schedule. Still, in their 36-7 thumping of the Tennessee Titans at LP Field, the Giants provided a very promising glimpse into the not-too-distant future.

That’s right, the Giants, who have typically been reluctant to play rookies and younger players unless they’re left with little to no choice, were carried by three rookie draft picks—receiver Odell Beckham Jr., running back Andre Williams and linebacker Devon Kennard—as they snapped a seven-game losing streak to improve to 4-9 on the year.

The star was Beckham, the first-round pick whose amazing play has completely absolved him of his early season hamstring issues. Beckham, who was targeted 15 times, finished with a team-leading 11 receptions for 130 yards and one touchdown.

His reception total fell two shy of the Giants’ single-game record set by running back Tiki Barber on January 2, 2000, in a game against Dallas.

No matter, as Beckham, who continues to make a strong push for Offensive Rookie of the Year, now has six straight games with at least 90 receiving yards, a new Giants team record for a rookie and three games shy of the league record set by Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin in 1995, according to the Fox TV broadcast.

Not only did Beckham, who made an excellent reception on a 50-yard pass by quarterback Eli Manning by going up to get the ball at its highest point, excel in the passing game, he had one rush for nine yards on an end-around and contributed 48 yards on four punt returns for a very healthy 12.3 average.

James Kenney/Associated Press

Oh and, for good measure, Beckham attempted a pass on the Giants’ very first drive of the game, showing a little razzle-dazzle after taking the ball on a handoff from Manning. However, his deep pass to receiver Rueben Randle was incomplete.

“I definitely wanted to complete it,” Beckham said on the Giants’ postgame show. “I threw it out there a little too far for him, but I know I’ve been around [Randle] for a long time and he’s by far one of the best deep route runners as far as tracking the ball in the air that I’ve been around.

“So I was going to put that out there and give him a chance. I had a second option open to Preston (Parker) across the middle, but sometimes you gotta take a shot, try to give him a chance as much as I could, but I just put it out there a little too far.”

Hey, you can’t have everything, though it’s nice to see a player that wants it all.

Williams, the Giants’ fourth-round pick this year, received his fifth career start in place of Rashad Jennings, who was active despite being limited in practice all week with a sprained ankle. Coming into the game, Williams had 393 yards on 134 carries (2.9 average) with five touchdowns.

James Kenney/Associated Press

After a sluggish first half in which Williams ran for 17 yards on five carries (3.4), he exploded in the second half, mostly benefiting behind lead blocks by fullback Henry Hynoski, such as on his big 50-yard touchdown run on the Giants’ first possession of the third quarter that put New York up 30-0.

Williams finished with 131 yards on 24 carries for a very healthy 5.5 average, his lone touchdown coming on that 50-yard rush, a carry that he nearly lost after taking the handoff from Manning.

“Yeah, truth be told, I was a little bit gassed. I was trying to get over there and get into my second wind, and I kind of looked ahead to see what was going on before I had a good handle on the ball,” he said via the Giants postgame radio broadcast. “But I got it secured, and they blocked it up great and I got up [the field].

In addition to his rushing yardage, Williams added 16 yards on three receptions.

“We made some adjustments, did things a little bit different, but we just came out with a resolve that we were going to play a better second half than we did in the first half,” Williams said on the postgame radio broadcast when asked about the difference for the run game after halftime.

According to the Fox TV broadcast, the 100-yard performances by Beckham and Williams made them the first Giants rookie duo in 539 games to have more than 100 yards apiece in the same game.

Moving to the other side of the ball, Kennard, the rookie linebacker who is one of the team’s two fifth-round picks this year (the other being safety Nat Berhe) finished third on the team with six total tackles and tied with defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Damontre Moore for the team lead in sacks with 2.0.

This was the second straight game that Kennard, out of USC, posted 2.0 sacks in a game, the accomplishment now boosting his season total 4.0.

This week, Kennard, starting at the strong-side linebacker spot, also added two tackles for a loss and forced a fumble on a sack that came in the first quarter on the play in which defensive tackle Markus Kuhn scooped and scored on a 26-yard touchdown return to give the Giants a 17-0 lead.

“I have to see it,” Kennard said via the postgame radio broadcast of his big play. “I’m not sure how it all went down. I know I beat the man and JPP missed it I think, and I came in and hit him, but I have to watch the film because I didn’t get a chance to see it.”

When he does see, it, he's sure to smile, just as the Giants front office and coaching staff must be doing in knowing that maybe they have enough building blocks currently on the team on which to base a foundation moving forward.

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football and The SportsXchange. All quotes and information obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced. Follow her on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.