This is a major sigh of relief for NY Giants fans everywhere. In the stunning, thrilling 31-28 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, plenty of worry came in late when Saquon Barkley went down with what looked to be a serious injury.
Barkley slamming his helmet in anger made it seem like he'd be out for a while. Fortunately, it doesn't look like that's going to be the case. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Barkley appears to have suffered a sprained ankle.
When he was hobbling off the field, plenty of Big Blue supporters thought that Barkley had potentially suffered a broken ankle. The Schultz report is fantastic news, as the worst-case scenario has been avoided:
Sources: X-Rays on Saquon Barkley’s ankle came back negative (meaning nothing is broken).
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 18, 2023
The next big step: I’m told the #Giants’ star RB will have an MRI tomorrow.
Again, the team believes Barkley didn’t suffer a serious injury, but the MRI will be its final confirmation. https://t.co/OItD3Qmw1e
NY Giants running back Saquon Barkley is likely dealing with a sprained ankle
Unfortunately for the Giants, they'll have a quick turnaround from Week 2 to Week 3, taking on the San Francisco 49ers for a Thursday Night Football tilt. With that game right the corner, Barkley is expected to miss the massive showdown.
However, in Week 4, the Giants will host the Seahawks for a Monday Night Football contest in East Rutherford - that game will be played on Oct. 2. That would give Barkley more than two weeks to get himself ready for that matchup.
With that said, the last thing the Giants are going to want to do is rush him back to the field too soon. It's up in the air how many games Barkley will miss with his bum ankle, but the fantastic news here is that it's not going to result in him missing the majority of the campaign.
In the come-from-behind win over the Cardinals, Barkley rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown, while adding six receptions for 29 yards and another score. He's incredibly valuable for this offense, which means his absence will sting a bit for Daniel Jones and Co. Luckily, though, Barkley should be back in action much sooner than expected.