Saquon Barkley, Giants want to finish strong despite season of struggles

For Saquon Barkley, not much changes with the Giants out of playoff contention with two games to go.

“This is the NFL. Go out there and compete, try to win,” Barkey said Thursday. “That’s the goal every week, go out and try to find a way to win the football game, and it doesn’t change. Obviously, in two weeks we’ll be going home, so the mindset is try to finish the season as strong as we can.”

Barkley was drafted by the Giants in 2018. He has played in two postseason games, both last year, against the Vikings and the Eagles.

“I think it definitely [stinks] more, knowing the feeling of playing in the playoffs and going there the season prior,” he said. “Obviously, that was the expectation to make the playoffs again this year, but we fell short.”

Just under a year ago, the Giants were celebrating their first playoff appearance — and first win — since 2016.

On Sunday, the Giants are hosting a Rams team with playoff aspirations. The Rams have a 71% chance to make the playoffs, according to Fox Sports.

Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale thinks he knows why: “[Rams quarterback Matthew] Stafford is playing at a Hall of Fame-type level and they have jelled offensively.”

For the Giants, the gulf between last year and this year is immense.

“There are a lot of games that we wish we could have back to be in a different scenario coming into Week 17,” Barkley said. “But that’s not the case. We have two games left and we have a tough opponent who is playing really well, and they’re still continuing to fight for the playoffs, so you know you’re going to get their best shot.”

A year ago, Brian Daboll was named Coach of the Year but noted that the Giants “got smoked in the playoffs” by the Eagles. That scenario did not sit well with him.

This year, the Giants have had a plethora of injuries and have underperformed.

Barkley is confident that his teammates will compete no matter the circumstances.

“Obviously, it’s unfortunate that we’re not in a scenario where we can continue to compete and make the playoffs,” he said. “But there’s a lot of people that would love to be in our position, so you’ve just got to keep that mindset, go out there, play at a high level and try your best to come out with a win like every other week.”

Barkley said reaching 1,000 rushing yards again would be important to him. He did so three times previously, in his rookie season of 2018, 2019 and 2022. He ranks as the NFL’s ninth-leading rusher this season and needs 123 rushing yards in the next two games to reach 1,000.

“That’s definitely a goal of mine to get, not just selfishly, for the offensive line,” Barkley said. “I feel like it’s a big thing, 1,000 yards, and maybe even more, hopefully. A year like this where we had a lot of ups and downs and a lot of adversity and me being injured, missing a couple of games, I feel like it definitely wouldn’t hurt with the things I want to accomplish in my career. So it’s definitely a goal of mine and I would love to do that, and I feel me accomplishing that would be a big thing not only for myself but for the offensive line, too.”

Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.