Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley was difficult for the Eagles to stop in the first half of Sunday’s game as he picked up 131 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns to help the team build a 19-3 lead.
It was much easier for the Eagles to slow Barkley down in the second half because the Giants stopped giving him the ball. He had 15 touches in the first half and five touches after the break as the Giants offense stopped moving the ball in the face of an Eagles comeback.
Among the coaching decisions made by Pat Shurmur in the second half was using backup running back Wayne Gallman for an entire series in the third quarter and Shurmur said after the game that “had nothing to do with the outcome of the game.” He also said the team got “off schedule” with sacks and penalties that kept them from using Barkley.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham shared his dissatisfaction with the offensive plan after the game, but Barkley was more circumspect when asked if he took issue with how things unfolded.
“No. I mean, the offensive coordinator and the head coach are coaches for a reason,” Barkley said. “I know everyone wants to be a coach and think what we should call, but they know what they are doing, and they’re putting us in the position to win. Like I’ve said multiple times, if I carry the ball 20 times or carry the ball three times, no matter how many times it takes to win the game I’m willing to do. But we just didn’t finish this game and that’s the difference.”
Barkley’s been a consistent bright spot amid the gloom of this Giants season and his unwillingness to point fingers is a likable trait even if he’d be right to wonder how the Giants thought they could win without giving him a lot of work.