Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones dazzled in his NFL debut, but the Giants aren’t riding completely high following their first win of the season.
New York managed to overcome the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay on Sunday largely without Saquon Barkley’s services. The star running back sustained an ankle injury in the second quarter of the Week 3 contest, which the Giants ultimately claimed 32-31 thanks to a late rushing touchdown by Jones and a missed field goal off the foot of Bucs kicker Matt Gay.
The verdict on Barkley, at least for now, is a high ankle sprain, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. X-rays on the second-year pro, who reportedly is scheduled for an MRI on Monday, revealed no breaks in the ankle.
“I really don’t know too much about the injury, got an X-ray on it,” Barkley said, per Raanan. “Nothing’s wrong with it there. Going to get a better understanding of what it is, and whatever it is, I’m going to work my tail off.”
Raanan reports Barkley is expected to miss some time. For what it’s worth, the Giants star told ESPN he sustained a similar injury during his freshman year at Penn State and only was sidelined for two games. The 22-year-old appears to be heading into the recovery process with an upbeat attitude.
“Could it be way worse? Yes,” Barkley said. “I’m not out for the season. I’m going to try to hopefully do whatever I can do to get back as quickly as possible. Not just for myself but for this team.”
There’s never a good time for injuries, but Barkley’s ankle ailment comes at a particularly tough point on the campaign for the Giants, who will play three games over 12 days beginning Sunday when they host the New York Giants. New York will welcome the Minnesota Vikings to MetLife Stadium the following week before traveling to Foxboro for a “Thursday Night Football” tilt against the New England Patriots on Oct. 10.
