The Vikings' Aaron Jones and the Commanders' Brian Robinson combined to average nearly 7 yards per carry against the Giants in the first two weeks of the season.
Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen had a concise answer ready when asked what Big Blue needed to improve to stop the run Sunday against the Browns.
“Tackling,” Bowen responded before Thursday’s practice.
In fact, the Giants have allowed 163 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 28th in the NFL in that category.
Jones rushed for 94 yards on 17 carries in the season-opening loss to Minnesota, while Robinson accounted for 133 of Washington's 215 rushing yards in last Sunday's loss to the Commanders.
“I think the tackles showed up (on film),” Bowen said. “I missed some tackles, even on scramble plays. We had opportunities to get off the field and the tackles showed up.
“There are some good plays, too, but we have to limit the explosive runs.”
An example of that was Robinson's 40-yard scamper last week after the front seven initially stopped him at the line of scrimmage.
“The bottom line is being where we need to be, everybody doing their job, all 11, every play. Not just one player, not 10 people. All 11 doing their job,” defensive lineman Rakeem “Nacho” Nunez-Roches said. “If you go watch the film, you can see it for yourself. There were a few times where we completely shut them down.
“Whether it’s a bad fit or a bad tackle, it’s all about the fundamentals and doing your job.”
Bowen's defense actually allowed zero touchdowns in Washington's loss, but the Commanders never punted in the game and kicked seven field goals for a 21-18 victory.
“I think the first thing that comes to mind is we've got to force them to punt,” Bowen said. “I'm really proud of the guys and the determination and resilience to stop them in the red zone, and to keep playing through all the adversity that came their way and stop them after completions on third-and-long on drives or conversions on drives.
“Those things are exhausting, but to keep playing and find obstacles, I’m very proud of their determination, especially after Week 1 and not being able to stop them there. But we can’t let them down there seven times. We can’t… So there’s a lot to improve.”
