If you thought Saquon Barkley’s 36-yard touchdown run against the Dallas Cowboys was explosive, wait until you hear what New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones said to him right before that play.
While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Barkley revealed the NSFW (Not Safe For Work) message Jones gave him before the snap.
Via Dan Duggan of The Athletic:
Saquon said before his 36-yard TD run against Dallas Daniel Jones told him, “Hit that motherfucker.”
Saquon had failed to hit that … type of run earlier in the game, but he complied after the pep talk from his QB.
“Saquon said before his 36-yard TD run against Dallas, Daniel Jones told him, ‘Hit that m*****f***er,'” Duggan tweeted. “Saquon had failed to hit that … type of run earlier in the game, but he complied after the pep talk from his QB.”
If you haven’t seen it yet, the end zone view of Barkley’s touchdown run shows the incredible jump-cut he made to avoid two Cowboys defenders with a single move.
Via Nick Falato of Big Blue Banter:
Just an insane jump-cut by Saquon Barkley to avoid two Dallas defenders for a touchdown run
Also does a good job cutting inside Glowinski’s block and running through the contact from the unblocked defender
Barkley finished the Cowboys game with 81 rushing yards on 14 attempts (5.8 yards/carry). He also caught four passes for 45 yards in the loss and currently leads the NFL with 408 yards from scrimmage on the season (136 yards/game).
Barkley, who had over 2,000 scrimmage yards and was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018, said he felt like his old self during his long touchdown run against the Cowboys.
“Those are the plays that put a smile on your face [and] you are like, ‘That’s the guy I know. That’s the guy who was always there,'” Barkley said, via Art Stapleton of The Record. “He was there last year to be completely honest. I just had a hard time finding a way to bring him out.”
First year head coach Brian Daboll and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka have helped bring out that version of Barkley more often this season.
Saquon Barkley Honors Eli Manning With Chad Powers Shirt
The best part about Saquon Barkley’s media availability on Thursday was his Chad Powers shirt, which featured the now-iconic line: “Think Fast, Run Fast.”
@saquon 🤝 Chad Powers
Chad Powers is a character that must hit close to home for Barkley. Not only was Powers played by his former teammate, Eli Manning, but the segment was about a walk-on at Penn State, where Barkley played in college and ultimately became the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Barkley clearly got a kick out of the whole thing.
In addition to Daniel Jones’ NSFW message, the Chad Powers “Think Fast, Run Fast” motto must have inspired Barkley to break that long touchdown run against the Cowboys.
Saquon Barkley Leads NFL in Rushing Yards After Contact
While the Giants’ run blocking has improved this season, Saquon Barkley is making some plays happen on his own. As a result, Barkley is now tied with Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb for the most rushing yards after contact this season (246 yards).
Via PFF Fantasy Football on Twitter:
Leaders in rushing yards after contact 🥇
Saquon Barkley: 246 YDS
Nick Chubb: 246 YDS
Barkley (317) still trails Chubb (341) for the league lead in rushing yards, but it’s shaping up to be a great race. Atlanta Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson (302) is the only other player with over 300 rushing yards. Jonathan Taylor (286) of the Indianapolis Colts and Christian McCaffrey (243) of the Carolina Panthers round out the top five rushers heading into Week 4.
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Daniel Jones Gave Saquon Barkley NSFW Message Before TD vs. Cowboys