Entering the fourth quarter on Sunday night, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley was in the midst of another forgettable game.
Although Barkley had scored a second-quarter touchdown, that came as the result of a brilliant drive by quarterback Daniel Jones — arguably one of his best ever. The running back, meanwhile, was averaging roughly 3.3 yards per carry and hadn’t made the impact necessary to win.
That changed in the biggest moments.
With the clock ticking away late in the fourth quarter and the Giants nursing a 17-12 lead, Barkley took it upon himself to carry the team to victory. He repeatedly asked Jones for the ball and without questioning it, DJ obliged.
“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,” Jones told reporters after the win.
The Giants drove 54 yards on nine plays, eating up 4:11 off the clock. They settled for a 50-yard Graham Gano that extended their lead to eight points.
The drive began at Giants’ 14-yard line and Barkley took the first four handoffs, gaining a total of 44 yards and generating four straight first downs. He added another four yards at the end of the drive, which was just enough for Gano to punch it through.
“Yeah, it’s fun to watch. Fun to watch for sure,” Jones added. “Yeah, he took over there, and like you said, 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. 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.”
Barkley ultimately finished the game with 120 total yards and the one score. He bumped his yards per carry average up from 3.3 to 4.8. It also pushed Barkley’s yearly rushing total to 1,170, which is the second-highest of his professional career.
“You realize the moment. You want to be the guy. You want to make plays in that moment. Kind of just relax, take a deep breath and let your body take over,” Barkley said.
Barkley’s take-over moment helped propel the Giants to their eighth win of the season, their first .500 or better record since 2016 and very likely, a playoff appearance.
