It wasn’t all good news during the New York Giants’ come-from-behind victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Monday morning that star running back Saquon Barkley will miss “several weeks,” after suffering a high-ankle sprain during the second quarter of New York’s 32-31 victory.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter added that it could be between four-to-eight weeks, which was revealed by an MRI on Monday.
Barkley suffered the injury when he attempted to hurdle a low tackle from Buccaneers safety Mike Edwards and landed awkwardly on his right ankle.
He emerged from the locker room in the second half on crutches while wearing a boot. The Giants quickly diagnosed the injury as a sprain — a relief for the organization.
The 22-year-old is the most explosive talent on the Giants, coming off an introductory campaign in 2018 where he won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. On a 5-11 Giants team, he was the lone bright spot as he rushed for 1,307 yards while adding 721 receiving yards with 15 total touchdowns.
Throughout the first two weeks of the season, it looked like Barkley would once again be the team’s main source of offense. He rushed for over 100 yards in each of his first two games of the season despite getting limited touches.
He was stymied by the Buccaneers before his injury, picking up just 10 rushing yards on eight carries.
While it’s a difficult blow for the Giants, it’s not all fire and brimstone now without their star rusher.
Rookie Daniel Jones’ sterling debut resulted in an 18-point comeback win — the Duke product’s seven-yard touchdown rush was the game-winner in the final minutes of the 32-31 result.
He’ll be the focal point of the Giants’ offense without Barkley as the passing game looks to come alive in the post-Eli Manning era.
Wayne Gallman is expected to be the No. 1 back for the time being. The third-year back has seen limited action behind Barkley this season, but has one touchdown while averaging 4.3 yards per rush.
