NFL: Giants star Saquon Barkley is out for the season with a torn ACL,
A major knee injury has ended Saquon Barkley’s season.
His career still has a long way to go, New York Giants coach Joe Judge predicted Monday a little more than 24 hours after his star halfback tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on a seemingly harmless tackle in a loss to the Chicago Bears.
The Giants (0-2) said earlier in the day an MRI in a New York City hospital confirmed Barkley had torn his ACL, meaning he would not play again in 2020.
Judge said backups Dion Lewis and Wayne Gallman would replace the 2018 NFL offensive rookie of the year. The rookie coach also issued a warning to the league.
“I won’t fall asleep on 26,” Judge said. “It’s going to be a hell of a story.”
Barkley will have to wait for the swelling in his knee to subside before having surgery, which the team said would be in the near future.
Barkley was hurt near the Chicago sideline after trying to fend off Bears safety Eddie Jackson on a 6-yard carry early in the second quarter. The No. 2 draft choice in 2018 dragged his right leg behind him as he was helped back across the field to the Giants sideline.
After a short conversation with trainers, he left the field on a cart. The 23-year-old also seemed to be shaken up after he was tackled at the end of an 18-yard run late in the opening quarter, but he quickly re-entered the game.
Barkley had 19 carries for 34 yards this season, including four for 28 yards on Sunday.
He was limited to 6 yards on 15 carries against the Steelers in the season opener, when he had no blocking support.
McCaffrey sidelined: Panthers allpro running back Christian McCaffrey is expected to miss “multiple weeks” with a high right ankle sprain he sustained in Carolina’s 31-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Panthers coach Matt Rhule said on a conference call: “I hate it for him. No one wants to be out there more than
Christian does. But everything happens for a reason. I’m sure he is rehabbing right now.”
High ankle sprains are generally considered a 4 to 6 week injury, but Rhule said he had no timeline for McCaffrey’s return.
Injuries rock 49ers: The San Francisco 49ers were waiting for MRI results Monday on potential seasonending injuries to defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas because the MRI truck expected to meet them at their hotel in West Virginia broke down.
Along with the injuries to two starting defensive linemen, the Niners are also dealing with a high ankle sprain to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo that likely will sideline him this week, a sprained MCL that has shut down Raheem Mostert and injuries to running back Tevin Coleman (knee), defensive tackle D.J. Jones (ankle) and linebacker Dre Greenlaw (thigh) that all came during a 31-13 win against the New York Jets on Sunday.
Vikings lose Barr: Minnesota Vikings four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Anthony Barr will miss the remainder of the season because of a torn pectoral muscle, coach Mike Zimmer said.
Barr was hurt before halftime of Minnesota’s 28-11 loss Sunday at Indianapolis, and Zimmer said the seventh-year pro would be placed on injured reserve.