Insider: Numbers show Giants' Saquon Barkley is 'back'
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley let it be known before the 2022 NFL regular season that he was "fed up" with criticisms from "All-Pros with clickers in their hand," and he later vowed to "shut everyone up" during the final year of his rookie contract.
Barkley suffered a torn ACL that ended his 2020 campaign in fewer than two full games and then recorded an unremarkable 593 rushing yards, 263 receiving yards and four offensive touchdowns last season. While it's still early, it appears the 25-year-old will enjoy his football a bit more playing under first-year head coach Brian Daboll.
In this past Sunday's regular-season opener, Barkley tallied 164 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries to go along with six receptions for 30 yards and also a thrilling two-point conversion late in the 21-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans. He's since earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts:
For a piece published Wednesday morning, ESPN's Jordan Raanan offered additional numbers that show that Barkley is "back" as an elite offensive force.
"Barkley’s (rushing yards over expectation per carry) was plus-4.87 on Sunday against the Titans, meaning he produced almost five yards better than the average ball carrier would have per carry, the third-best number for a running back in Week 1," Raanan pointed out.
"Barkley reached 21.1 miles per hour on his 68-yard run down the left sideline in the third quarter, per NFL Next Gen Stats," Raanan continued. "That was the fastest speed he has recorded since Week 17 of the 2019 season and the fourth-fastest time he clocked in his career."
The 1-0 Giants will celebrate their home opener when they welcome the 0-1 Carolina Panthers to MetLife Stadium this coming Sunday. Carolina surrendered 217 yards on the ground and 5.6 yards per carry in a Week 1 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
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