Giants fear Barkley has torn ACL
New York RB is injured during Sunday’s defeat against Chicago Bears
The New York Giants fear Saquon Barkley tore the ACL in his right knee on Sunday, when head coach Joe Judge had to help a trainer carry his grimacing running back across Soldier Field to the visitors’ bench in the second quarter of their 17-13 loss to Chicago.
Barkley, a former Whitehall High School and Penn State star, grabbed his right knee after a hard tackle by Bears safety Eddie Jackson along the far sideline. Once Judge helped his top running back off the field, Barkley was carted into the locker room for X-rays with the Giants bracing for the worst.
A league source confirmed that the torn ACLis “certainly within the realm” of possibility. Barkley was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game and will undergo further evaluation on Monday, the Giants said.
Barkley had appeared to injure his left arm or wrist on the second to last play of the first quarter after taking a hit from Bears corner Kyle Fuller and bracing for a fall.
Dion Lewis came in for a play, and as the second quarter opened, Barkley took a 6-yard run outside to the right before getting slammed down by Jackson and taking his helmet off and grabbing immediately for his right knee.
Barkley missed three games last year with a high ankle sprain, but still managed to rush for more than 1,000 yards, as he has done for both of his seasons with the Giants. He ran for more than 3,800 yards at Penn State.
Before the half was over, Giants receiver Sterling Shepard also hurt a toe on his left foot while being tackled. He played the first play of the second half and then went straight to the locker room and did not return.
Unfortunately, on-field injuries were rampant league-wide in Week 2 of the NFL season.
Coaches feared as much throughout training camp because players did not have the benefit of their typical offseason workouts in person at team facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The shortened camp schedule and lack of preseason games also altered howplayers could prepare for the regular season.
“Myprayers are up for all of mybrothers that went down today,” Browns star receiver and former Giant Odell Beckham Jr. tweeted. “May god place his healing hand of grade upon yall! Hate to see it!”
The San Francisco 49ers, whom the Giants host in Week 3, actually lost D-linemen Nick Bosa (knee) and SolomonThomas(knee), QBJimmyGaroppolo (ankle) and RB Raheem Mostert (knee) all in the same game against the Jets.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey (ankle), Broncos QBDrewLock (shoulder), Rams RB Cam Akers (ribs) and Dolphins CB Byron Jones (groin) were also among the laundry list of players hobbled throughout the day.
The positive health news, for both the NFL and NFL Players’ Association, is that no players or coaches tested positive for THEcoronavirus coming out of Week 1, when teams first traveled and took the field against opponents.
But soft-tissue injuries were way up even during training camp throughout the league, and Week 2 was worrisome for players’ ability to make through this season healthy.
Barkley left Sunday’s game with four carries for 28 yards. He was replaced by Lewis, who ran 10 times for 20 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 36 yards.
Wayne Gallman was a healthy scratch. The only other running back dressed was fullback Eli Penny, who made a great block on Lewis’ 4th-andgoal TDfrom the 1-yard line but did not touch the ball.