Rush to repeat success

Mike Kafka has been coaching since 2016. Before that, he was a well-traveled NFL quarterback who played in just four games over five seasons after a college career at Northwestern.

But never before had the 35-yearold been a part of a game in which his team ran the same play repeatedly.

“That would be the first for me,” the Giants’ offensive coordinator said Thursday, four days after he continually dialed up a play that kept working.

With the Giants leading by three points in the closing minutes at Jacksonville, they used eight rushing plays from the same formation to take 3:25 off the clock and set themselves up for a 34-yard field goal that represented the final points of the 23-17 win.

Each play began in a power formation behind fullback Chris Myarick, who went in motion each time. Six times, Daniel Jones handed off to Saquon Barkley, who carried the ball off the right end. He picked up 44 of his 110 rush yards on the series.

The two non-Barkley runs came from the same formation. Backup Matt Breida gained 2 yards on one run, and Jones held onto the ball and ran for 15 yards around the left end on another.

“It’s not easy to do that in the National Football League, and they did a nice job of handling it, picking up yards when we needed it,” said Kafka, who credited offensive line coach Bobby Johnson, tight ends coach Andy Bischoff and running backs coach DeAndre Smith for the success.

➤ The “12th Man” at Lumen Field in Seattle on Sunday will bring a new challenge for the Giants.

“You definitely know you’re going into a loud environment,” Kafka said of Seahawks fans. “You prepare the best you can like we have been all week with crowd noise and that kind of stuff at practice. [Head coach Brian Daboll] does a good job of getting our guys ready for that.”

➤ Not practicing for the Giants were WR Kenny Golladay (knee), TE Daniel Bellinger (eye), G Ben Bredeson (knee), OT Evan Neal (knee), LB Oshane Ximines (quad) and CB Cor’Dale Flott.

Limited were DT Leonard Williams (elbow), OT Tyre Phillips (toe) and S Jason Pinnock (foot).