Maybe the Giants were reacting to a recently passed San Francisco ordinance lowering city speed limits when they decided to keep Jalin Hyatt on the sidelines Thursday night in Santa Clara, Calif.
How else do you explain why Hyatt — the rookie receiver with the 24-mile-per-hour GPS-tracking times, whose speed sparked a 21-point comeback win at Arizona last weekend — was underutilized Thursday in the 30-12 loss to the 49ers?
Hyatt played 16 of 50 offensive snaps, but did not get a touch or a target.
“There’s a plan for Jalin — a plan for all the guys — and based on personnel that we choose to use on a given play, it could be more, it could be about the same,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “So, we’ll keep on giving him reps, and hopefully we have more than [50] plays in a game. We put him in plays to try to target him.”
Perhaps the Giants can use the extra time between that loss and their Week 4 game on Monday, Oct. 2, against the Seahawks to draw up more personnel packages featuring Hyatt.
It’s not just that 16 is a low raw number, but playing 32 percent of any snap total seems like not maximizing big-play ability.
So does using Hyatt as the fourth-most-played receiver — behind Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins and Parris Campbell, and slightly ahead of Wan’Dale Robinson in his season debut.
“We have to look at where there could have been opportunities to do that and do a better job with that,” quarterback Daniel Jones said of not involving Hyatt. “He’s a dynamic player. We didn’t possess the ball well enough, didn’t convert third down.
“I think had we done that better, it would’ve been more opportunities for everybody.”
One example the film will show is that Hyatt broke free to the sideline 20 yards downfield after another receiver ran an underneath stop route, but by that time, pressure allowed by left guard Shane Lemieux already had collapsed the pocket and forced Jones to scramble.
With RB Saquon Barkley sidelined by a high ankle sprain, the Giants had their fewest rushing attempts in a game (11) since 1989, according to ESPN.
Matt Breida played 82 percent of the snaps because he is the most trusted of Barkley’s backups as a pass catcher and pass protector.
The biggest surprise was not seeing more designed runs for Jones.
“We had a few of them in the game plan,” Daboll said. “Didn’t get to them. That’s the reason.”
Daboll passed on two opportunities to criticize two seemingly dirty plays.
Asked about 49ers C Jake Brendel dragging DT D.J. Davidson to the turf by his arm well after a snap and away from the ball, Daboll said: “It was a physical game. A lot of emotions, so hopefully he’ll be OK.” Davidson injured his elbow and did not return.
Daboll also bit his tongue when asked about NFL senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson’s explanation for why 49ers LT Trent Williams was not ejected for punching DT A’Shawn Robinson.
Anderson said the NFL “couldn’t confirm that 100 percent … was it truly a closed fist with a strike.” Video replays appeared to show Williams’ fist was closed.
“I heard that,” Daboll said, “but again those [officials] have got a tough job to do out there. That’s really all I have to say on that.”
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