Giants' Saquon Barkley shakes off rust, wants to start faster in games
Saquon Barkley of the Giants runs the ball upfield in the first quarter of a game against the Bills on Sunday. Credit: Getty Images/Timothy T Ludwig
For Saquon Barkley, he’ll look ahead to his next opportunity.
That is, and always has been, Barkley’s way. But Sunday’s 14-9 loss to the Bills may sting for a while.
“As a competitor, you would love the opportunity,” he said after the game. “But at the end of the day, you have to trust the system, trust the coaches. [The Bills] made a play.”
Given an extra untimed down with no time remaining after defensive pass interference in the end zone, the Giants ran out of chances as Tyrod Taylor overthrew Darren Waller on the final play.
A similar play unfolded on the final play before halftime when Barkley carried the ball from the 1 and was stuffed.
“I thought we competed hard,” coach Brian Daboll said. “Obviously, you’d always like a few plays back. But it’s a tough one. They’re all tough, you put a lot into it.”
The game marked Barkley’s return to the field after suffering a high ankle sprain in the Week 2 win over the Cardinals. That remains the Giants’ lone win this season.
“I feel like I was able to make the cuts that I normally made,” Barkley said. “I got to start faster and be better for my team early in the game.”
Barkley rushed for 93 yards on 24 carries against the Bills and
got stronger as the game went along. He rushed for 19 yards at the start of the fourth quarter and had his biggest scamper of the day, for 34 yards, on the ensuing play.
“I think it’s just the rust was wearing off,” he said. “I haven’t played in three weeks. I haven’t really been practicing either. But that’s no excuse. I try to go out there and perform at a high level and make plays for my team and help us win, and I didn’t do enough today.”
WR rotation shortened
Daboll confirmed that the Giants shortened the wide receiver rotation against the Bills.
Besides Barkley, only Wan’Dale Robinson, Waller, Darius Slayton and rookie Jalin Hyatt were given multiple targets. Daboll said Isaiah Hodgins also is part of that group.
Hyatt, the rookie out of Tennessee, has been used sparingly this season with seven receptions on nine targets for 120 yards. It’s been a surprise that the speedster hasn’t been used more.
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
