Devin Singletary is trying to shake off his fumble reputation.
The clearest path for the Giants to win Thursday night against the Cowboys is to continue passing to Singletary, their workhorse since the start of the season, who has accounted for 71.8 percent of the offensive snaps against a rush defense that ranks last in the NFL.
Let an offensive line that feels it has gained its identity from setting up play-action passes with direct runs attack Daniel Jones and turn the tables on defensive linemen who are accustomed to defending big leads.
The only problem with that plan is that Singletary has fumbled in each of the past two games, raising his career total to 16, the fourth-most by a running back since entering the league in 2019.
The sixth and seventh lost fumbles of his career both came after halftime.
“I don't consider myself a fumbler,” Singletary said after Tuesday's walk-through. “It's part of the game. These guys get paid to do this, just like me. You've got to have a strong heart, be mentally tough and keep going. I definitely don't want to let my guys down any more.”
Fumbles are not a new concern for Giants fans — the franchise's all-time great, Tiki Barber, had to change how he ran the ball to avoid losing his job early in his career — but they have been a hidden concern.
Saquon Barkley fumbled just six times (three of which were lost) in 1,489 career touches from 2018-2023.
Singletary has done a good job in Barkley's place, averaging 4.7 yards per carry and recording 95 or more yards from scrimmage in two straight games.
However, a couple of good punch-outs could offset the upside.
“I wouldn't say it was bad luck,” Singletary said. “It's definitely something I have to fix. When I'm running, I have to hide it with both hands in congestion. I've been doing a lot of drill work. My teammates have been helping me out, even when we're doing walk-throughs, we're trying to do punch-outs and stuff. I can't turn the ball over, so I have to get better at that.”
Singletary touched the ball a career-high 246 times last season with the Texans and fumbled just one time, but his sudden ball security issues are not without precedent: He fumbled three times during his final season with the Bills in 2022 and four times in the first four games of the 2021 season with Brian Daboll at the helm.
The Bills cut Singletary's carries per game from 12.3 over his first four games of 2021 to 5.7 over the next five, but he eventually earned back coach Daboll's trust.
He still has it.
“You can't forgive one or two bad plays. [negate] “There's a lot of positives,” Daboll said, “so if we continue to work on ball security, he'll do that.”
Jones fixed his own fumble issues that have plagued him since his rookie year.
“It doesn't change our confidence in any way. [in Singletary]”He played great and came back and was a big part of it for us,” Jones said.
The Cowboys looked vulnerable after allowing 137 rushing yards to the Browns, 242 to the Saints and 182 to the Ravens.
Running the ball may be the best way to slow a pass rush that has recorded 20 sacks in the past four meetings with the Giants.
“All three of these [games] “It just kind of takes on a life of its own,” Daboll said, referring to the Cowboys games in which they had big leads of one kind or another. “Those numbers are those numbers, but I think every game is different and we'll evaluate how they call it.”
For the Giants, mounting a run attack against the Cowboys, who haven't had a top-15 rushing defense since 2019, is easier said than done.
“Nothing is going to be easy,” Singletary said. “It's a week-to-week league. The first couple weeks, they're going to do that sort of thing, but this is a new opportunity and it's district play, so I know they're going to come out there playing at their best.”
Daboll showed his confidence in Singletary with a toss to right to close out the win over the Browns.
He caught the toss and ran 43 yards, then skated down at the 1-yard line as instructed in the huddle, a bold play he might not have made had he been shaken up.
“As a ball carrier, your job is to protect the ball,” Singletary said. “This is a good example because if you dwell on that, the next play could be even worse. You're always going for the touchdown, but in that situation where you're trying to win, you'll do it again if you have to.”
