Saquon Barkley didn't have his best game Sunday in the Giants' 27-21 loss to the Cardinals, but he gave New York's offense an element the unit missed dearly over the past few weeks.
After three games off from a high sprain to his right ankle in Week 3's 32-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Barkley came back at an opportunistic time against Arizona, but the Giants' offense as a whole failed to produce.
Barkley took 18 carries for 72 yards a touchdown, a seven-yard run with 8:13 left in the fourth quarter to bring the Giants (2-5) within a 24-21 deficit of the Cardinals (3-3-1), but managed only eight yards on three receptions throughout pouring rain at MetLife Stadium.
"I felt like I was running well," Barkley said. "I think I did a little too much on some stuff, but that's part of my game. Sometimes it doesn't work, most of the time it works, so just have to go watch film and see what I could do better to help my team win."
Barkley did suffer a scare for a moment when a defender landed on his right ankle, limping off before coming back and finishing out the game.
"I think the offensive line did a tremendous job blocking," Barkley said. "We were able to get downhill ... I wouldn't say (the ankle got) banged it up, but someone landed on it. I knew that was part of the healing process and that's part of football, it's going to happen.
"You just have to grind it out and I was able to do that. No matter what, if I had a better second half than first half, we didn't win the game, so it doesn't matter."
After three straight losses, the Giants turn the page to next Sunday for Week 8's 1 p.m. ET matchup with the Lions (2-3-1), where soggy conditions won't be a factor from inside Ford Field in Detroit.
"I think you guys watched the game just as much as I played it, cutting was fine," Barkley said. "I think I broke some long ones today, made some people miss. Even when I went negative, I made some people miss. I think I did fine, I know I felt fine. I didn't do enough to help my team win."
"Any time you don't win the game, you have to be better" - Saquon Barkley pic.twitter.com/cvD6Qem0UH
- Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) October 20, 2019