"Saquon Barkley is back" - Twitter reacts to RB's performance in first half in loss to Washington Football Team
"Saquon Barkley is back" trending on Twitter after big run against Washington
New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley missed more than 90% of the 2020 NFL season and was on a snap count in Week 1. In the Week 2 match against the Washington Football Team, Saquon Barkley wasn't on a limited number of snaps and was given the chance to play a full game as a three-down RB.
Late into the first quarter, Saquon Barkley made a quick cut after the hand-off and found a big hole. He ended up turning on the speed and drove up the sideline for 41 yards. The Giants' fans were pumped and Saquon Barkley himself had to be excited about having his first big run since his grueling injury. Twitter was all in on Saquon Barkley "being back".
SAQUON BARKLEY IS BACK
https://t.co/B1FlDHZCn9
Here’s what’s awesome about Saquon Barkley’s peripheral vision and spatial awareness! https://t.co/HBCrtEWkqX
Saquon Barkley ended the game with 13 carries for 57 yards with a 4.4 average. His 41-yard gain helped his stats and he was relatively average without it, but he's still showing growth in returning from his injury. He wasn't 100% on the field, but he's well on his way. QB Daniel Jones ended up as the team's leading rusher with 9 carries for 95 yards and 1 TD.
You also have to factor in a few other things in Saquon Barkley's performance tonight. They were facing a very tough front seven with Washington. New York OC Jason Garrett's playcalling wasn't ideal or perfect and fans were aware of it.
The Giants have an offense of
Sterling Shepard
Kenny Golladay
Kadarius Toney
Darius Slayton
Saquon Barkley
John Ross
And this is all Jason Garrett calls https://t.co/SEc8A1V6T6
Jason Garrett: “2nd and Long we gotta catch em off guard” https://t.co/zaKtufaRLM
Us: throw to Kenny Golladay
Jason Garrett: https://t.co/Nt3l8VOP5v
you can smell Jason Garrett's play calling a mile away twitter.com/PLeonardNYDN/s…
Head coach Joe Judge was also criticized on Twitter for his gameplan against Washington. Win or lose, Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley both played well, and the offense held up fairly well against one of the top defenses in the NFL. Several personal mistakes by other players led to the loss, including Darius Slayton dropping a TD pass and Dexter Lawrence's offsides penalty that led to the game-winning FG.
The fact that Saquon Barkley had more than 90% of the carries out of the backfield is a win in itself. The Giants weren't going to have a chance this season without him at his best and Barkley is almost there. The Giants have the Atlanta Falcons next and Barkley should have a much more efficient game. Honestly, Saquon Barkley has a decent stretch ahead of him that should allow him to shake off the rust and get back in prime form before facing Aaron Donald and the LA Rams. Twitter can throw shade and hate all that they want, but Saquon Barkley is "back", in a sense, and the New York Giants aren't going to be pushed around this season.
Give props to Washington QB Taylor Heinicke as well for his amazing performance as the starter. When these two teams meet again, it should be highlighted on your calendar if Heinicke is still the starter.