Saquon Barkley had a monster game in the Giants’ post-bye win over Houston, racking up 36 touches and 160 yards from scrimmage – but over Big Blue’s 0-3-1 stretch following that, he was held to 152 yards on the ground total, the same number he had in that one Texans game.
His lone “big” game in that stretch was against Washington, though, so it’s no surprise that he had 87 on the ground and 33 in the passing game Sunday, his best game in a month.
"It felt pretty good. We got the run game going at the end, kept leaning on the O-line and knew it was going to pop at some point,” Barkley said after the Giants’ win. “We kept trusting it, and (offensive coordinator Mike) Kafka and (offensive line coach) Bobby (Johnson) and all those guys did a good job of continuing to trust the run and make the right calls."
Head coach Brian Daboll said he saw “an explosive, downhill, powerful runner” on Sunday, and was “proud as heck” of Barkley for it, and it seemed like he saw a player who got better as the game went on.
Barkley had three runs for nine yards and one nine-yard catch in the first quarter, but on the Giants’ long TD drive in the second quarter, he had six touches on the 18-play drive, including the three-yard touchdown run that put Big Blue up 14-3 after a huge fourth-down conversion.
"Great play call, great design by all the coaches,” Barkley said of the TD run. “Once I did the motion, I knew we had numbers and it was on me to make it work, and the O-Line did a great job with blocking it up for an easy walk-in."
Saquon then had four touches on the Giants’ first field goal drive, but it was on the Giants’ final field goal drive in the fourth quarter where he took over: he got 41 yards on three carries for three straight first downs to open the drive, then had another three tough runs to get the Giants to the 31 and make Graham Gano’s field goal a little shorter.
"Just trying to finish the game. Like I said, we knew stuff was going to start popping, it was only a matter of time, and it timed up at the right time,” Barkley said. “We didn’t abandon the run, just continued to lean on it, and the holes popped open, so it was on me to make reads and cuts and get low on the safeties and make some other guys miss."
“It’s fun to watch for sure. He took over there, a bunch of key runs, and that's what you expect out of your best players, to take over in the fourth quarter and deliver,” Daniel Jones added. “Real big time for him to do that. Offensive line did a great job giving him some seams, and that's all he needs to make some big plays, so hats off to him."
It may have been a drive that led to only three points, but Barkley had 48 of the 55 yards gained on the sequence – and as Jones said, that’s exactly what you need out of your big players in a big spot.
“You realize the moment, but it’s not really on your mind. You want to be the guy and make plays in that moment, so just kind of just relax, take a deep breath and let your body take over,” Barkley said. “You gotta be yourself if you are your biggest critic.”
“I think you could tell as soon as we got into that drive talking in the huddle, he's ready to go, he's asking for the ball, he's asking for those chances and having spent as much time with him as I have, it's no surprise to me that he loves being in those situations, he loves the opportunity to potentially close the game out and make a lot of really good plays,” added Jones.
In fact, the field goal instead of a touchdown may be Barkley’s only regret of the whole drive.
“I really wish we would have ended up with six there and just end the game, but we were able to get points out of that situation and our defense had our back,” Barkley said. “That’s the beauty of football.”
A win is a win, though, and with a tough schedule over the final three weeks – they play the NFC’s two top teams sandwiched around a game in Indianapolis – they’re going to need Barkley to be the player he was before the bye, when he looked like an MVP candidate.
In Saquon’s mind, he’s just getting started on his second wind.
“You go through strides. You go through ups and downs through the season. Started off really fast and had a little stretch where the run game wasn't really going, but it only takes one game,” he said. “Hopefully this game will catapult us to continue to get the run game going for the rest of the season."
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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