PHILADELPHIA -- Andre Williams got his first NFL start Sunday night, but it didn’t turn out the way he had hoped. Not by a long shot.
The rookie from Boston College, replacing the injured Rashad Jennings, had 16 carries for just 58 yards -- 3.6 yards per carry -- in the New York Giants' 27-0 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
"Gotta give it up to the Eagles defense, they played a great game, they were getting in the backfield," Williams said. "Just gotta get back in the film room and figure out what went wrong."
An eight-yard run on the Giants' first possession of the game, on which Williams flattened Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, was Williams' only highlight. He had just 10 carries for 25 yards in the first half, when the Giants fell behind 20-0.
Things didn't get much better in the second half. Williams didn't have a single catch out of the backfield, either -- he wasn't even targeted. Backfield mate Peyton Hillis had a meager five carries for 24 yards and three catches for 28 yards.
"I couldn't tell you," Williams said, when asked what went wrong with the running game. "We have to get in the film room and figure out what went wrong. I just think it was a lack of execution on our part."
The Giants entered the day ranked 15th in the NFL in rushing, averaging 121 yards per game. They'll drop following this performance.
And the running game will become even more important, now that the Giants have lost their best wide receiver, Victor Cruz, for the remainder of the season.
Jennings, fourth in the NFL in rushing individually through five weeks (396 yards), will probably miss at least one more game, too.
Which means the pressure will remain on Williams as the Giants get ready to face the Cowboys in Dallas next week.
