Saquon Barkley, Giants’ running game stuck in reverse in ugly opener
Saquon #Saquon
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants need Saquon Barkley. He’s their best player and centerpiece of their offense. The Giants aren’t going to win many games if Barkley runs for six yards, like he did on Monday night in Joe Judge’s debut as the head coach.
So it’s hardly a surprise they lost their season opener 26-16 to the Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium. Barkley had a frustrating evening, with the aggressive Steelers defense consistently in the backfield.
Barkley had eight runs for losses with his offensive line failing to open holes, or even seemingly providing resistance. Barkley was hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on 11 rushes, tied for the most in a game in his career.
At one point late in the first half, he had eight rushes for minus-8 yards. He had minus-3 yards rushing at halftime.
Giants running back Saquon Barkley was hit behind the line of scrimmage 11 times on Monday. Sarah Stier/Getty Images
He was visibly frustrated on the sideline at times throughout the game. How could he not be? Barkley also had a dropped pass in the first quarter and failed to pick up a blitzing Steeler in the fourth quarter that led to a sack. It was his nightmare evening.
The Giants and new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett couldn’t dial up anything up to create space for Barkley. Nothing they did against a fast and aggressive Steelers defense worked in the run game.
Most of it wasn’t even Barkley’s fault. Nonetheless, it led to the second-worst game of his professional career. He rushed for one yard on 13 carries last year in a loss to the New York Jets.
This isn’t the norm. And probably won’t be moving forward. The Giants aren’t going to face many defenses as good as the Steelers, and their offensive line almost has to play better moving forward.
Silver lining: There was a lot to like from the Giants in Judge’s debut. They battled. They were competitive against a more experienced and talented team.
This is what you wanted to see from the Giants, who were the worst team in the NFL (12-36) over the past three seasons. Their defense looked improved, finding new and different ways to pressure quarterback Ben Roethlisberger through a variety of looks. Their prized offseason acquisitions — middle linebacker Blake Martinez and cornerback James Bradberry — played well.
It might not have been the result they wanted. Still, there was enough to think they will fare better against competition more their speed. The Steelers are expected to among the AFC’s best teams this season.
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QB Breakdown: The Giants’ Daniel Jones finished 26-of-41 passing for 279 yards with two touchdown passes to Darius Slayton. He made more than a few plays in what was mostly a solid performance.
The second-year quarterback had his moments, but he also threw two costly interceptions. The first was when he was fooled by Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt in the first half. The second was a killer. He threw an ill-advised pass under pressure near the goal line with the Giants down 16-10 late in the third quarter. It was a back-breaker.
The good news? At least Jones didn’t fumble despite some big hits and heavy pressure. That was a problem last year when he led the NFL with 18 fumbles, 12 lost.
Troubling Trend: This was not the performance tight end Evan Engram was looking for coming off a disappointing 2019. Engram had two catches on seven targets for nine yards.
It was a struggle for Engram right from the start, when he dropped a pass on the opening drive. It didn’t get much better as the evening progressed. Engram struggled with his blocking against a tough Pittsburgh front and was called for an offensive pass interference when he finally did make a catch downfield in the second quarter.
This was not what Engram and the Giants were hoping to see, especially in what amounts to a make-or-break season for the fourth-year tight end.