Movie Breakdown: What happened to the Giants’ rushing attack?

Expectations were high for the New York Giants rushing attack entering Week 4. The Giants hosted a Dallas Cowboys team that allowed by far the most rushing yards through the first three weeks of the season. The Baltimore Ravens rushed for 274 yards on Mike Zimmer’s defense in Week 3, and New Orleans rushed for 195 yards.

Lamar Jackson’s zone read and option threat caused problems for Micah Parsons and the Cowboys’ defense. New York tried a similar approach with their specialty flare, but Zimmer and the Cowboys countered with a heavy side safety rotation toward the shotgun running back (to add an additional body to the keep side).

The Giants also lost 5 yards on a zone read attempt with a standout individual effort from rookie Marshawn Kneeland to force the keep and hit the quarterback.

The Giants’ offensive line didn’t seem as confident in its assignments after the snap. Dallas’ defensive linemen – especially Mazi Smith – would quickly penetrate the A gap from his 3-technique spot in an OVER front when he reads zone steps. This would select John Michael Schmtiz and prohibit the Giants from moving up to the second level, freeing up the linebackers and putting three blockers on two defensive backs.

Dallas also has “Picks” on the line of scrimmage to release other defenders. This happened a few times throughout the game and is detailed in the video below: