Giants aim to keep struggling Saquon Barkley down: ‘You don’t want to be the team to let him get hot’
Saquon Barkley has yet to deliver an explosive game in 2025. The New York Giants don’t want to be his first victim.
“You don’t want to be the team to let him get hot,” defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said Tuesday ahead of New York’s Week 6 home game against the Philadelphia Eagles, via the team’s official transcript. “So, you’ve got to stay disciplined Thursday and go win.”
In five games, Barkley has 267 rushing yards and three rushing scores. He has not topped 90 rushing yards or reached 100 scrimmage yards in any week.
After a 2,005-yard 2024 campaign, Barkley has yet to blast off. His season-long rush thus far is 17 yards. Last year, he had 17 rushes of 20-plus yards and seven 40-plus yarders.
At this stage, the chicken-or-egg question is whether the grind of 345 carries last year is wearing on Barkley — as it does historically with 2K runners — or if his usage under new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is the root cause. The reality is probably a bit of both.
In Week 6, Barkley had six carries for 30 yards, the fewest carries since Week 11, 2021, with the Giants — six carries coming off injury.
With the Eagles losing their first game of the season and the firestorm created by Barkley’s usage, the Giants expect Philly to try to jumpstart the run game on Thursday night.
“I think everybody expects that,” safety Tyler Nubin told the New York Post. “When you don’t get your best guy involved and don’t get the result that you want, obviously things are gonna change. Definitely ready for that.”
