Saquon Barkley has yet to have an explosive game in 2025. The New York Giants didn't want to be his first victim.
“You don't want to be the team that lets him get hot,” defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said Tuesday ahead of New York's Week 6 home game against the Philadelphia Eagles, via the team's official record. “So, you have to stay disciplined and get the win on Thursday.”
In five games, Barkley rushed for 267 yards and three scores. He never topped 90 rushing yards or reached 100 yards from scrimmage in any given week.
After a 2,005-yard campaign in 2024, Barkley has yet to take off. He has 17 yards rushing all season so far. Last year, he had 17 rushes of 20 or more yards and seven rushes of 40 or more yards.
The chicken-and-egg question at this stage is whether the drudgery of rushing 345 times last year bothered Barkley — as it has historically done for 2K runners — or whether his usage under new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was the root cause. The reality is probably a bit of both.
In Week 6, Barkley had six carries for 30 yards, his fewest with the Giants since Week 11 of 2021 — six of which came due to injury.
With the Eagles losing their first game of the season and sparking a firestorm over Barkley's use, the Giants expect the Phillies to try to jump-start the running game on Thursday night.
“I think everybody hopes so,” safety Tyler Nubin told the New York Post. “When you don't get the best people involved and you don't get the results you want, obviously things are going to change. Definitely be prepared for that.”