Getty Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants
In Week 6, the New York Giants packed their bags and traveled to Foxborough to face off with the undefeated and vaunted New England Patriots. In a game that many deemed out of the Giants’ reach before kickoff, they not only competed but kept the game within seven-points midway into the fourth quarter.
The G-Men were able to compete with the best team in all of football by most accounts, despite not having the likes of Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram, and Sterling Shepard at their disposal.
That might change this week for a Giants team that is just one game out of first place in the NFC East.
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Saquon Barkley’s Return Imminent?
Daniel Jones’ prayers have been answered, well almost. Multiple key cogs to the Giants offensive gameplan returned to the practice field on Monday. Running backs Saquon Barkley and Wayne Gallman joined pass catchers Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram as players who took part in individual drills after all missed the team’s Week 6 contest against the Patriots.
Of the four players, Barkley, Gallman, and Engram have a great chance of seeing the field in Week 7. The prospect of having Barkley in the Giants backfield vs. the Arizona Cardinals this week can not be understated. Despite his hype videos giving Giants fans false hope, the running back has missed the past three games with an ankle injury.
Wayne Gallman was able to fill in admirably in the first contest, totaling 118 yards and two touchdowns. However, since Gallman’s head injury in the early parts of the following game, the Giants run game has been atrocious. New York opted for a committee of Jon Hilliman and Elijhaa Penny in the backfield over the past two weeks. In return, New York mustered up 79 total yards and zero touchdowns on the ground. New York opted to swap out Hilliman with former Ravens running back Buck Allen. The addition of Allen to go along with Gallman, who’s likely to return to action this week, creates a formidable duo. However, if they can slide into complementary roles behind the Barkley this Sunday, the run game will reach new heights.
Daniel Jones in Dire Need of Receiving Help
There is no question that Daniel Jones has seen a regression in his statistical output since his marvelous first career start back in Week 3. However, if you watch the games he’s still putting a lot of good film on tape, despite little help from his supporting cast. That group of players will likely see the return of stud tight end Evan Engram this week, and it couldn’t come at a better time.
Evan Engram is one of, if not the best, receiving tight ends in football. He has a chance of dominating the Cardinals this week. No team has been worse at defending the tight end position this season. In four of Arizona’s past five games, opposing tight ends have averaged seven receptions and a whopping 98.4 yards receiving. They’ve also surrendered a league-high seven touchdowns to the TE position this season.
Sterling Shepard is still dealing with the repercussions of his second concussion of the season. At the moment, he is still unlikely to play this coming week. However, the fact that he was able to return to the practice field, even on a limited basis, is promising for his future outlook. The Giants have re-signed wideout Bennie Fowler as a back-up plan if Shepard’s absence continues to linger.
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