LATERAL DAMAGE
Barkley takes blame for fumble return
DETROIT — Saquon Barkley sounded like he bit a sour apple as he spit out the dreaded words.
“I lacked effort there,” Barkley said. “I have to be better for my team.”
Barkley prides himself on giving an unquestionable effort to match his all-world talent, and the combination is what elevates him into the stratosphere of likable superstar among NFL fans.
So, to admit that his own lack of hustle contributed to the Giants giving up a touchdown Sunday in a 31-26 loss to the Lions? Barkley is going to hold onto that regret for a while.
On the Giants’ second offensive possession, with neither team on the scoreboard, quarterback Daniel Jones tried to avoid a sack from Jarrad Davis by horizontally dumping the ball off to Barkley. When it bounced, Barkley assumed incomplete pass, but Devon Kennard picked up the loose ball and returned it for a 13-yard touchdown.
Jones’ throw to Barkley was a backward pass and thus a lateral and fumble.
“I think they did a really good job delaying the blitz. That’s my guy,” Barkley said, taking responsibility for a missed blitz pickup. “Once I turned to go [in a route], he blitzed and the end dropped onto me.”
One official started to signal incomplete pass, but the play wasn’t whistled dead, and Kennard — a former Giants draft pick — was given a touchdown by the referee. Replay review upheld the call.
Barkley did not take the cop-out of blaming the official. Giants coach Pat Shurmur declined to discuss
Barkley’s reaction and hustle until reviewing the game film because he didn’t see it on first look.
“There’s no excuse,” Barkley said. “That’s not who I am. That’s not the type of player I am. That’s not the reason why I’m a captain. I have to have better effort on that play.”
Better safe than sorry, right?
“With the form and how it came out, I just thought that it couldn’t be a fumble,” Barkley said. “Even [Kennard] and I, we both kind of broke down a little bit. Chilled. And he got to the ball quicker than me. I have to find a way to make that tackle or push him out of bounds. You never know.”
In his second game back after missing three with a high ankle sprain, Barkley finished with a team-high 143 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown catch. But he didn’t execute other pass blocks, too, including backto-back plays late in the third quarter when the Giants had the ball and a 24-19 deficit.
One play resulted in an incomplete pass, one in a sack, but a defensive holding penalty gave a new set of downs to the Giants. They punted anyway, and never again had possession trailing by one score.
Barkley entered his second NFL season with a selfemphasis on pass protection as the No. 1 area of his skill set to improve. On the whole, the Giants (2-6) don’t look much improved from the team that went 8-24 over the previous two seasons.
“Everyone is upset; everyone is sick to their stomach,” Barkley said. “No one wants to lose, especially four in a row.”