Saquon Barkley has carried the Giants this far; playoffs next?
Saquon Barkley of the Giants celebrates a win over Commanders during the fourth quarter at FedExField on Sunday in Landover, Md. Credit: Getty Images/Rob Carr
Shortly after the Giants’ offense trotted onto the field with 6:06 left in Sunday night’s game against the Commanders, Daniel Jones surveyed his teammates and spotted not just who but what he was hoping to see.
Saquon Barkley was there, sure, as he had been for most of the night and most of the season.
But as the biggest game of either of their pro careers came to its crescendo, Jones noticed there was a difference in the running back’s demeanor, a perceptible change in his attitude.
“I think you could tell as soon as we got into that drive, talking in the huddle, that he’s ready to go, he’s asking for the ball, he’s asking for those chances,” Jones said. “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.”
After managing only 40 rushing yards up to that point, Barkley rumbled and rolled for 48 yards on a drive that ended with a 50-yard field goal by Graham Gano and gave the Giants a 20-12 lead, which turned out to be the final score. After having only one run that went for more than 4 yards, he suddenly ripped off carries of 12, 15 and 14 yards on three consecutive snaps.
“It’s fun to watch, fun to watch for sure,” Jones said of the new iteration of the familiar face. “He took over there. A bunch of key runs. That’s what you expect out of your best players, to take over in the fourth quarter and deliver. Real big time for him to do that.”
Barkley has carried the Giants this far: to the win over the Commanders, to an 8-5-1 record guaranteeing their first non-losing record since 2016, to the doorstep of the playoffs with three games to play.
Along the way, it’s become clear the Giants will go only as far as Barkley can take them.
His sluggish statistics coincided with their four-game winless streak before he regained some of his form and totaled 120 rushing and receiving yards against Washington.
Now we’ll get to see if he can close out this season the way he helped close out Sunday’s win.
There is only one offensive player who can lift this team and schlep the Giants deeper into the month of January than perhaps even they ever envisioned.
It’s not Jones. It’s not any of the wide receivers with the forgettable names.
It’s Barkley.
But only if he has enough left in him. He’ll have to dig deeper than he ever has, challenge himself more than he thought possible. Rehabbing his torn ACL and working through the pain of other injuries was grueling, but this is the test that will demonstrate what he is made of.
“You realize the moment,” Barkley said of his fourth-quarter mentality on Sunday. “You want to be the guy. You want to make plays in that moment. You kind of just relax, take a deep breath and let your body take over.”
Coach Brian Daboll appeared to get a little choked up when asked about Barkley after the game. “I saw an explosive, downhill, powerful runner,” he said. “And I was proud as heck of the kid.”
It’s been an arduous road here, and it has not reached its end just yet.
These are the games in which legacies are forged.
Barkley’s legacy with the Giants includes a debate over his value as the second overall pick in the 2018 draft, a very promising and award-laden rookie year, a number of injuries and a return to form this season . . . but mostly losing.
There’s been way too much of that losing during his career. The playoffs — assuming the Giants get there; they have a roughly 90% chance at this point — will give him a chance to finally broaden the scope of what his tenure with the team will mean.
Time is winding down, the Giants have the ball and everyone knows whom it’s going to.
On Sunday night, Barkley thrived in that situation.
And as was the case Sunday, how he handles it the next month or more will determine how far these Giants go.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
