The Giants came into Sunday’s game with four wins in their last five games and running back Saquon Barkley was on a run of four straight games with at least 142 yards from scrimmage.
Things did not go as well on either front against the Titans. The Giants lost 17-0 and Barkley was held to a season-low 56 total yards as the Giants could never find a way to get him going.
Barkley’s rough day was exactly how the Titans drew it up. With wide receiver Odell Beckham out of action, Titans nose tackle Austin Johnson said the team knew “we had to stop him to win the game.”
“The plan was to eliminate all the big plays,” Titans safety Kevin Byard said, via the New York Post. “We couldn’t let him get the 80-yard runs. That was something we talked about all week. Odell wasn’t playing, so we knew Saquon Barkley was going to be a big key and we did a great job containing him.”
Barkley and members of the Giants offensive line said the Titans showed different things than they’d seen on film and the confusion likely helped keep the Giants offense in neutral all day.