The New York Giants are in the middle of their best season since 2016 and their running back is a major reason for that.
After breaking into the league as the Rookie of the Year in 2018, Saquon Barkley suffered an ACL tear that had an obvious impact on his game.
This forced him to miss the rest of the 2020 NFL season, and made him a shell of himself in 2021.
However, he made a big resurgence this year.
Saquon Barkley just put Jon Bostic on skates.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 19, 2022
Barkley has once again become an elite running back.
He finished the regular season with 1,312 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns, and 434 receiving yards.
Those rushing stats are good for fourth best in the league.
These numbers put him in an elite category of running backs, as Barkley reminded people what he can do on the field.
Another big aspect of Barkley’s season is the fact that he has been able to remain healthy.
He has posted over 200 carries for the first time since 2019, and has yet to show signs of slowing down.
This earns him an “A-plus” grade, and it is well deserved.
He is the cog that powers the Giants offense.
Saquon Barkley in the open field is poetry pic.twitter.com/Ux1ACYVAcp
—Kevin Boilard (@KevinBoilard) October 23, 2022
While Daniel Jones has been much improved this year, the offense would not be as good if Barkley wasn’t there.
He is the focal point of the offense, and plays his role perfectly.
By Barkley having such a strong season, he has freed up Jones and the receiving corps to outperform expectations.
Going into the playoffs, the Giants will need Barkley to step up again.
Their fate rests largely in his hands against a weak defense in Minnesota, and it could be a special game as Barkley makes his playoff debut.
