Getty Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants.
Saquon Barkley’s rough start to the 2020 NFL season got much worse in Week 2. In fact, it may have just ended. The New York Giants‘ star running back went down in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears with what appeared to be a knee injury. Barkley landed awkwardly after a tackle by Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller and remained on the ground for some time, in noticeable pain. The running back was eventually helped off the field and to the sidelines by teammates and staff before eventually making his way to the locker room via a cart.
Minutes after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Barkley was set to undergo x-rays on his knee, the New York Giants’ official Twitter account tweeted that Barkley would not return to the game and will undergo further evaluation on Monday.
Barkley Likely Has a Torn ACL
With more tests coming, Schefter and ESPN’s Jordan Raanan have reported that the Giants are expecting the worst, with one source claiming that a torn ACL is “certainly within the realm.”
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport doubled-down on those reports, stating that not only is the injury “within the realm” but that Barkley has indeed suffered an ACL tear “based on the manual test and initial diagnosis.”
#Giants RB Saquon Barkley suffered an ACL tear, based on the manual tests and initial diagnosis, source said. He’ll have an MRI to tell the full story, but the belief is the star is done for the season. Coach Joe Judge said they are holding out hope.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 20, 2020
Barkley was already banged up entering what would ultimately prove to be his final series of the day. Training staff spent time looking at the left hand/wrist area of Barkley before his brief return back to the field.
Prior to sustaining his injury, Barkley was looking very much like his former Pro Bowl-self against the Bears. The former NFL Rookie of the Year racked up 28 rushing yards on just four attempts, including a long run of 18 yards. The 18-yard scamper outpaced his previous 15 carries on the season by 10 yards.
The Saquon Barkley injury. Looks to be a right knee.
Offseason free-agent addition Dion Lewis shouldered the workload in the Giants’ backfield for the remainder of the game vs. Chicago. The veteran running back averaged just 2.0 yards per carry on the ground. Yet, he did manage to find the endzone as well as haul in four receptions for 39 yards. Fellow Giants running back Wayne Gallman was a healthy scratch this week, but will likely be called upon with Barkley expected to miss an extended period of time.
Sterling Shepard Injured
Barkley wasn’t the only prominent Giants playmaker to go down with an injury on Sunday. Wideout Sterling Shepard suffered a toe injury on this play before hobbling to the locker room prior to the end of the first-half:
#Giants WR Sterling Shepard got injured on this play. Went to the locker room.
Shepard did not return on Sunday.
Injury Update: Sterling Shepard will not return after leaving the game with a toe injury.
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Giants 1st Half Blunders Prove Insurmountable
Despite Barkley’s strong play to open things up, the Giants as a whole came out the gates slow against Chicago. The Bears kicked things off with an 82-yard opening driving culminating in a Mitchell Trubisky to David Montgomery touchdown connection.
The following possession featured an all too familiar sight for Giants fans, as quarterback Daniel Jones was strip-sacked by Bears edge-rusher Robert Quinn, who beat first-rounder Andrew Thomas on the play. The fumble was ultimately recovered by Chicago’s Khalil Mack. Jones notably led the NFL in fumbles as a rookie with 18.
Things didn’t get any better for the Giants, as Jones was picked off early in the second quarter by Bears safety Devin Bush. A few drives later Trubisky would go on to fire his second touchdown of the day, this time a 15 yarder to receiver Darnell Mooney.
The Giants closed out their disappointing first-half on a missed 57-yard field goal by kicker Graham Gano, entering halftime trailing 17-0. Big Blue battled all the way back in the second-half, getting within four of the Bears with a chance to take the lead in the final seconds from Chicago’s 10-yard line. However, their struggles in the first-half proved too drastic to overcome, as New York failed to punch the ball in the end zone, falling to 0-2 on the young season.