New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley felt fine running the ball in his first game back after he suffered a high ankle sprain.
The so-called “superhuman” and face of the New York Giants franchise returned to the game field on Sunday. After sitting out for nearly a month (for Big Blue fans, it felt even longer than that), Saquon Barkley suited up for the eventual loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Barkley rushed for 72 yards on 18 carries (four yards-per-carry) with one touchdown, his second score of the year. However, in the third quarter of the loss, Barkley came up hobbling after running out of bounds on the Arizona sideline.
He left the game for a small amount of time but did return. After the loss, Barkley noted to reporters that he felt his ankle held up fine.
“I felt like I was running well,” he said, per Darryl Slater of NJ.com. “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. I think cutting was fine. I broke some long ones today, made some people miss.
“I think I did fine. I know I felt fine, but didn’t do enough to help my team win. I was able to take my normal workload. Physically, I feel good.”
Barkley’s efforts were still not enough to overcome the Cardinals’ defense. It was an Arizona group that Golden Tate felt New York made look like the ’85 Bears.
The Cardinals only allowed 263 yards of offense and forced three turnovers, each of quarterback Daniel Jones. The rookie threw one pick and lost two fumbles in the 27-21 defeat.
