New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley is one of the primary reasons the team is off to a surprising 3-1 start to the season.
Barkley’s excellence on the ground and in the passing game has been one of the major storylines in Jersey after two injury-plagued seasons.
However, Barkley found himself thrown into the fire under center in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears. Starting quarterback Daniel Jones exited the game with an ankle injury. Almost immediately after replacing Jones under center, backup QB Tyrod Taylor had to leave while being evaluated for a concussion. That forced Barkley to run the wildcat.
Barkley initially took four consecutive snaps under center from the wildcat formation, ultimately gaining 18 yards in the process. It led to a Giants field goal and a 20-12 lead more than halfway through the fourth quarter.
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New York Giants QB injuries and impact on Saquon Barkley
New York does have Davis Webb on its practice squad. But he was not elevated for Sunday’s outing against the Chicago Bears. We will have to wait and see what happens with Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor before drawing a conclusion here. The Giants are slated to take on the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field next Sunday. The quarterback situation will be an obvious backdrop here.
As for Barkley, he continued to run the offense from the wildcat throughout the remainder of Sunday’s win over Chicago. He was also dominant once again on the ground, going for 146 yards on 31 attempts. This is just the continuation of Barkley returning to earlier-career form.
- Saquon Barkley stats (Weeks 1-3): 317 rushing yards, 13 receptions, 91 yards, 408 total yards, 6.2 yards per touch, 2 TD
We will have further updates on the Giants’ quarterback situation once they become available. For now, things are not looking to great on that front despite a 3-1 start to the season following Sunday’s 20-12 win over Chicago.