The New York Giants were in a tough spot on Sunday afternoon.
Near the end of the early games on Sunday, the Giants looked as though they might enter the matchup with the New Orleans Saints with a two-game lead in the NFC East, as both the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys were on the verge of losing. Then things turned around quickly, as the Cowboys won on a last-second kick in regulation, while the Redskins defeated the Ravens in overtime.
Suddenly the Giants were taking the field clinging to a one-game lead in a game against a team that had won three straight against them, including a 49-24 drubbing last year. New York was literally in a must-win situation. Enter running back David Wilson.
The rookie put the Giants on his back and set a team record by gaining 327 all-purpose yards in the emphatic 52-27 win, including a 97-yard kick return for a touchdown in the first quarter.
Things didn't get off to a great start for the Giants--Eli Manning threw an interception that was returned 73-yards for a touchdown--but Wilson had the response. Just seconds after the Saints took a 7-0 lead, Wilson bolted past the Saints for the first Giants kick return for a score since 2007.
"Special teams definitely gave us a boost," defensive tackle Chris Canty said to ESPN.com. "When we had the turnover for a touchdown, special teams came right back and responded, so that's big for our football team. It gave us that lift, it gave us that energy, we got excited but rolled that momentum."
Wilson added 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a 52-yard score to put the game away in the second half. He became the first player in NFL history to have 200 kickoff return yards and 100 yards in the same game.
"I don't know what took him so long," defensive end Justin Tuck said to ESPN.com jokingly after the game.
Based on Wilson's season so far, it was surprise--but not to his teammates.
"Oh man, he made some huge plays when we needed them the most," wide receiver Victor Cruz said. "We watch him in practice just do amazing things, whether it is breaking plays or making cuts, that we only see guys that are Hall of Famers make. He definitely is the most athletic [player] on the team."
As a first-round draft pick out of Virginia Tech, Wilson had a lot to live up to entering the season, but he lost his chance after fumbling on his second-career carry against the Cowboys.
He played sporadically on offense and was relegated to kickoff returns. Instead of letting it get the best of him, Wilson owned his position and turned kickoffs into a weapon for the Giants, giving them solid returns all season. Wilson appeared to be very close to breaking one off for a few weeks---then came the Saints.
"I didn't have the greatest start for a rookie," Wilson said to ESPN.com. "And rookies have little room for error. At that point, I was put in position that I had to gain the coaches' trust again. I stuck with it and kept working and working, and I knew eventually my opportunity would come again."
Prior to the game, coach tom Coughlin told Wilson to do one thing son Sunday: "Just Run Fast" and Wilson did just that.
"It was nothing I didn't expect of him," Chanston Rodgers, Wilson's position coach at George Washington High in Danville, Va., said by phone to ESPNNewYork.com. "Once he got that first touchdown on the return I knew he was going to have a big day. It was the way he was running, and how he was aggressively reading the holes."
While at Virginia Tech, Wilson was known for his speed, but also his issues with fumbling. As a senior he rushed for 1,709 yards and was named ACC Player of the Year.
"I kept telling him to be patient, that he would get his opportunity," said Rodgers by phone to ESPNNewYork.com.. "I told him, 'You can't teach speed like yours. All it takes is one hole, and you're off to the races.' And I told him something else: 'Don't fumble when you get your chance.'"
This season Wilson has rushed for 211 yards and three touchdowns and set the team return yards record with 1,321, breaking Domenik Hixon's records of 1,291. By the end of the game against the Saints, Wilson had 227 return yards, including a 58-yarder to open the game.
"[Wilson has] been challenged every week and it came a point where they're not going to kick him the ball. They're not going to give him different looks," Hixon said. "This week [special teams coordinator Tom] Quinn emphasized a ton for everyone to do their job and just to trust each other. And so to me, I was excited after the first one; I said, 'It's just a matter of time,' and it's great to see him out there running. Field position was tremendous throughout the whole game."
By the end of the game Wilson was doing back flips and proving to any doubters in the league that he couldn't handle running the ball. The Giants were forced to turn to Wilson after losing Andre Brown to a broken leg. The team signed veterans Kregg Lumpkin and Ryan Torain as insurance, but it looks like they will be remain reserve options.
"[General manager Jerry] Reese got on me for the flip," Wilson said laughing. "[He] said if you get hurt, I'll be all in your grill."
Wilson's previous best game was against the Cleveland Browns when he had two carries for 44 yards and a touchdown in garbage time in the 41-27 win. He has steadily been gaining carries in each of the pas four games and broke out for his first career 100-yard game against the Saints.
The speed of Wilson is something the Giants have not had in years. The team has employed solid returners in recent years, but nothing like Wilson. Giving Eli Manning excellent field position all night, the offense produced 52 points, including four passing touchdowns.
The Giants needed the performance from Wilson to win on Sunday and will need it for the rest of the season if they wish to repeat as Super Bowl champions. The team likely needs to win three straight games to make it to the playoffs and have a tough road with road games at Atlanta and Baltimore ahead.
"We're a fighting team," safety Antrel Rolle said to the Daily News. "We're going to fight to the end. We will be the last team standing."
The Giants have now won two of their last three games against teams that made it to the playoffs last season, including a 38-10 victory over the Green Bay Packers three weeks ago.
