Barkley chases records as G-Men finish season against Cowboys
With one game left in the season, the only remaining suspense for the Giants is how much more history Saquon Barkley can produce.
The rookie still has a slim chance at winning the NFL’s rushing title, needing at least 237 yards to surpass the Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott, who likely will not play much — if at all — in Sunday’s meaningless season finale at MetLife Stadium. The Giants (5-10) are eliminated from playoff contention, and the Cowboys (96) are locked into the NFC’s No. 4 seed.
Either way, it has been a rookie season for the ages. Barkley will finish with close to 2,000 yards from scrimmage (only two rookies have ever reached that mark) and likely pass Reggie Bush for the most receptions by a first-year running back in league history (two away from 89).
“I’m not all about winning rushing titles, or me, me, me, but I do believe that I want to be a great player in this league, and I want to go down as one of the best to play in this league,” Barkley said during the week. “That’s a credit to the coaching staff and your teammates and the hard work you put in. I believe one day I will accomplish that goal, and that’s a goal of mine. The way I am, when I set goals and I envision something, I’m going to go work for it.”
Not coincidentally, the Giants were most successful this season when Barkley was at his best and received high volumes of touches. He averaged 134.5 rushing yards on 19.5 carries with five touchdowns during a four-game stretch after the bye week in which the Giants went 3-1.
Quarterback Eli Manning said after the Week 14 win against the Redskins that the Giants were “starting to figure out” that the offense runs through Barkley. They made an offensive line tweak midseason, acquiring right guard Jamon Brown off waivers, and began deploying heavier personnel with two- and threetight end sets.
The running game struggled again in the past two weeks, partly because star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (quad injury) is missing four consecutive games to finish the season, but also because the offensive line still needs improvement in order for the Giants to be more consistent and become a serious contender again.
Still, the season finale can serve as a measuring stick. New York has three different offensive line starters from the Week 2 loss in Dallas, and in the team’s 28-27 loss to Indianapolis last Sunday, the unit showed growth in pass protection by not allowing a sack. The Giants are tied with Arizona for the eighth-most sacks yielded (46).
“We’re playing against the division champs, right?” offensive line coach Hal Hunter said. “They’re where we want to be, so how do we end the season? How do we measure up? If they’re the best in our division, they’re the team to beat, so how do we measure up with them this last week? It’s an important game for us.”
Cowboys head Jason Garrett said on a conference call during the week that Dallas wants to fine-tune itself for the playoffs, and that anyone “healthy enough to play” will play. Of course, there is some ambiguity to that, and the Giants are unlikely to face four quarters of the Cowboys’ best personnel.
The main difference from Week 2 is the Cowboys added wide receiver Amari Cooper from a trade with Oakland. He has significantly upgraded Dallas’ passing game and become a go-to target for Dak Prescott with 694 receiving yards and six touchdowns in eight games.
Dallas also ranks ninth in Football Outsiders’ defensive efficiency rankings, so to some degree the Giants will be tested and have a chance to end the season with five wins in the final eight games.
New York has six injured players ruled out of Sunday’s game including two starters (Beckham and linebacker Alec Ogletree). But overall the Giants have been relatively healthy this season and must find a way to finish close games better going forward under first-year head coach Pat Shurmur.
“I think if we have all our players for every game, I think that goes without saying it gives you the best chance to play well and win games,” Shurmur said. “The reality of this league is that’s not a reality. There’s injuries that occur and that’s why you have a roster. That’s why it’s the ultimate team game. That’s why guys got to step up and make plays.”