CHICAGO -- Dormant all year, the New York Giants' running game sprang surprisingly to life in Thursday night's 27-21 loss to the Bears. Veteran running back Brandon Jacobs, filling in as the starter for the injured David Wilson, rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. As a team, the Giants had 123 rushing yards in the game, which is 43.3 percent of their league-worst total (284) from their first five games.
With fullback John Conner heavily involved for the first time as a lead blocker, and with the Bears playing with backups in place of injured starters at defensive tackle, Jacobs found room to run the middle of the Chicago defense and took advantage of it.
"I just did what was asked of me," Jacobs said. "I did what they brought me here to do -- go out and play running back for the New York Giants. I felt good out there, even though without a win it doesn't mean anything. But I told the guys before the game started I was going to give them everything I've got on every snap."
Whether or not the performance is repeatable is a complete mystery, of course. The Giants have 10 days off before their next game, a "Monday Night Football" matchup against the Vikings on Oct. 21. Wilson could theoretically be back for that, though it seems unlikely as he's getting his neck looked at by a specialist next week and could have a serious injury that keeps him out for many weeks or even the rest of the season. Running back Da'Rel Scott injured his hamstring late in the game and could be out several weeks as well. So it's likely the Giants will be in the market for a running back of some sort in the coming days. But what Jacobs showed them Thursday, with Conner's help, is that they do have the ability to run the ball -- something the first five games of the season definitely did not reveal.