The roles in the Ginats backfield were further affirmed on Sunday night against the 49ers, as Rashad Jennings led the committee in carries while Shane Vereen was the featured back in the passing game. By the numbers, Vereen had the most impressive performance of the three, racking up 110 yards on 13 touches with a touchdown.
Much of that success can be attributed to his fourth quarter prominence, in which the Giants had almost no viable receivers left due to injury and Eli Manning was driving down the field to complete a down-to-the-wire win. Meanwhile, Jennings was largely unsuccessful on the ground, going 11-46-0. Still, he technically remains the starting back in New York. Andre Williams carried the ball three times for zero yards.
Sunday brought another telling performance from the Eagles backfield. DeMarco Murray was the unquestioned starter, out-carrying Ryan Mathews 20-to-8. Here's the thing - Murray managed a respectable 83 yards and touchdown, while Mathews gained 73 yards and a touchdown, good for 9.1 YPC. This is worrying for Murray owners, as the contest only affirmed the belief that Mathews is a better fit for Chip Kelly's system in Philadelphia.
Fortunately for those owners, Murray is being paid too much money to be a backup and his play is good enough to start in most rosters. For what it's worth, Murray added 37 yards on seven receptions while Mathews caught three passes for 23 yards. Darren Sproles accounted for 37 yards on six touches.