EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It was on New York Giants rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr.'s fourth run that he finally broke free on Sunday in Seattle. The play saw him burst through the middle, cut to the left of center John Michael Schmitz Jr. and left guard Jon Runyan, and race down the sideline for a 27-yard gain early in the second quarter of the Giant's 29-20 upset of the Seahawks.
In previous weeks, this would have been a game's worth of a workload for the fifth-round pick. Tracy, a wide receiver-turned running back, had topped four carries only once this season before Sunday (he had five carries in a Week 3 victory over the Browns), but he got the first start of his career in Seattle with starter Devin Singletary sidelined with a groin injury.
"Keep going. Keep going," offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor told him after the first long scamper of his career.
Tracy did, and it likely will lead to a bigger role moving forward given the success he had against the Seahawks. He had four runs of 10+ yards and finished with 129 rushing yards on 18 carries.
That's good for 7.2 yards per carry, which caught his coach's attention.
"He had to have a high average [with the long runs]," coach Brian Daboll noted afterward.
Tracy also became the fourth Giants rookie to have 125 rushing yards in a game in the Super Bowl era. He joined Saquon Barkley, who did it four times, Andre Williams and Ahmad Bradshaw.
It leaves Daboll and the Giants with the task of trying to find more carries for him when Singletary does return.
"We'll do what we need to do each week. But [Tracy] had a nice game. I think we just take it game by game, week by week, see what we're doing and what the game plan is for the opponent we're about to play," Daboll said.
Singletary wasn't all that far off from playing on Sunday in Seattle. He thought there was a chance he could play as recently as late last week. The six-year veteran was officially listed as doubtful for the contest, and it seems likely he could return as early as this week when the Giants host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night (8:20 ET, NBC).
But even when Singletary does get cleared to play, it would make sense for the Giants to pull back on his workload -- in part to ensure he remains healthy but also to get Tracy on the field more.
Singletary was playing 72% of the offensive snaps the first four weeks of the season. A timeshare, more of a running-back-by-committee, now seems more likely.
The Giants (2-3) are still committed to Singletary, a back they committed to for three years and $16.5 million as a free agent this offseason. He's going to be a big part of their offense and will not be phased out, especially considering the strong connection to Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen from their time together with the Buffalo Bills.
Daboll trusts Singletary implicitly -- to run, to block and to catch the ball out of the backfield.
Tracy is earning his coach's trust, and his performance in Seattle will only increase his chances of being a bigger part of the offense as the season progresses.
"Yeah, I mean, I feel like I did a good job [Sunday]," Tracy said when asked if he thought he earned more playing time before crediting the offensive line for his success: "It wasn't just me. The O-line did a great job. They made amazing holes."
That might, in fact, be true. The Giants' improved offensive line played its best game of the season. This on the heels of averaging 1.1 yards per rush in their previous contest against the Dallas Cowboys.
Having a veteran offensive line helps. They were determined to bounce back. But having Tracy seems to add a different element to the offense, which was without star wide receiver Malik Nabers (concussion) Sunday. Tracy provides more explosiveness.
Tracy has hit 15+ mph on seven of his 30 rushing attempts this season; Singletary has hit 15+ mph on eight of his 56 carries.
Tracy's speed was evident Sunday.
"He ran hard," Daboll said. "He saw the holes. He pressed the hole, something we've been working hard on with him is pressing the hole and setting up your blocks. [He] made some extra yards with the ball in his hand."
The increased opportunities helped. Tracy said he got a better feel for the game with the increased workload. He had three runs of 10+ yards in the third quarter alone.
Tracy noted that getting in a rhythm helped.
"A lot," he said. "I mean, that's for any running back though. I feel like when you're a running back, the longer you're in the game, the more you get a feel for the game, the better you play."
Daboll likened it to a streaky basketball shooter. The more they shoot, the more they are going to make. It looked that way for Tracy in his first start.
Now it's on the Giants to find more opportunities for the rookie running back.