Just when things were finally looking up for the New York Giants, superstar running back Saquon Barkley suffered a scary-looking ankle injury against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, October 10.
In the first quarter, Barkley rolled his left ankle after stepping on the foot of a Cowboys’ defender. Barkley limped off the field and upon removing his cleat, the ankle already showed significant swelling.
Saquon Barkley turns his ankle after the play
Barkley was ultimately carted off into the locker room and the Giants have ruled him out for the remainder of the game, according to ESPN beat reporter Jordan Raanan.
A photo posted to Twitter by CBS Sports’ Will Brinson shows Barkley’s ankle swelling in greater detail.
Swelling on Saquon’s ankle. No bueno
This injury is frustrating for both Barkley and the Giants, as the tailback was finally beginning to look like his old self following a torn ACL suffered last season.
Barkley racked up 126 total yards and two touchdowns last week on October 3 against the New Orleans Saints. His second score came on the ground and was the game-winner in overtime.
The Giants already faced a tough task this afternoon against the 3-1 Cowboys on the road. Now, they will have to try to carry on without Barkley for the rest of the day.
To make matters worse, quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a head injury when he took a shot to the helmet near the goal line. Jones looked woozy and was wobbling, which caused the Giants to cart him off the field as well.
Daniel Jones carted off.
Jones was replaced by backup quarterback Mike Glennon in the second quarter.
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Early Speculation for Barkley’s Recovery Timeline
Beyond Sunday’s contest, the main concern now lies within Barkley’s injury timeline moving forward.
According to David J. Chao, former NFL head team doctor and current sports medical analyst, Barkley looks to have suffered between a Grade 2-3 low-ankle sprain, which includes tearing of the lateral ligaments.
The good news is Chao believes this injury is not as serious as a high-ankle sprain. Barkley suffered a high-ankle sprain back in 2019, which caused him to miss a total of three games.
Regardless, this newest ailment is a tough break for Barkley who will likely be slowed down for the next few weeks in a best-case scenario.
Thomas’ Status
Although Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas was ruled active for Sunday’s contest with the Cowboys, he did not start and has yet to take a snap in the first half.
Thomas is dealing with a foot injury on the same foot he received surgery on in the offseason. The second-year tackle was limited during practice all week and was noticeably limping.
Coming into the day, Thomas had not allowed a sack through the first four weeks of the season. And his 79.0 pass blocking grade is the eighth-best among starting offensive tackles in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.
With Thomas on the sideline, Nate Solder is playing left tackle and Matt Peart has entered the lineup at right tackle. Peart lost the starting right tackle job to Solder during preseason and training camp.
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Photo of Giants RB Saquon Barkley’s Ankle Injury Goes Viral [LOOK]