The New York Giants have fought through plenty of adversity in recent seasons, but their fortunes changed almost completely when they drafted running back Saquon Barkley second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. While the Giants still struggled last season, Barkley provided them with an identity and one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL.
However just when they think they may have found a young quarterback to pair with him in Duke’s Daniel Jones, Barkley has gone down with an injury that is expected to keep him out of action. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain in their win over Tampa Bay and is expected to miss several weeks.
The #Giants are expecting to be without star RB Saquon Barkley for the next several weeks because of his high-ankle sprain, source said. Not surprising given the nature of the injury and his presence with a walking boot and crutches on the sideline.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 23, 2019
This is obviously terrible news for the New York Giants and their fanbase. Just when the Giants have seemed to break free of Eli Manning’s stagnant play, their most dangerous weapon goes down with an extended injury.
We will now have to likely wait a few weeks before we see the Daniel Jones-Saquon Barkley combination out on the field. Jones was lights out for the Giants yesterday in his first start, connecting on 23 of his 36 pass attempts for 336 yards and two touchdowns. Jones also added two more scores on the ground.
To open the season, Barkley had been his usual dominant self, slicing through defenses for at least 130 total yards in his first two outings. Now with a seemingly improved situation under center, Barkley will be chomping at the bit to get back out there with his teammates but it appears that won’t be happening for a while. Expect the Giants to rely more heavily on Wayne Gallman and maybe look for a veteran on the free-agent market if Barkley’s absence begins to draw out longer than anticipated.
