Giants confirm Saquon Barkley out for season with torn ACL

Saquon Barkley is done for the rest of 2020.

New York Giants head coach Joe Judge and quarterback Daniel Jones are already staring down the barrel of an 0-2 start, and they were banking on running back Saquon Barkley to help pull them out of their offensive doldrums. Instead, Barkley was one of the many star players to suffer a season-altering injury in Week 2. Barkley’s injury against the Chicago Bears had all the telltale signs of a torn ACL, and the Giants’ worst fears were confirmed to be true.

The doomsday scenario has come true for the Giants, as Barkley was confirmed to have sustained a torn ACL. The injury has ended his 2020 season after just five quarters.

Saquon Barkley got off to a bit of a slow start before his injury

When healthy, Barkley has looked every bit as dominant as he did as Penn State. The former No. 2 overall pick topped 2,000 yards from scrimmage as a rookie, and he managed1,400 yards from scrimmage in 2019 despite missing three games and playing behind a terrible offensive line.

After an embarrassing start to the season in which he only totaled six yards rushing on 15 carries, Barkley recorded 28 yards rushing on his first four carries against the Bears. Unfortunately, an awkward tackle has ended his 2020 season, and it leaves a Giants team that is already searching for answers in complete disarray. A matchup against the reigning NFC champion 49ers isn’t the best medicine.

Dion Lewis will likely assume the role of starter now that Barkley is hurt, but the Giants did bring in running back Devonta Freeman on a visit.

The Giants weren’t expecting much out of 2020, but they’re expectations just got even lower after Barkley’s injury. With Lewis currently slated to take over RB1 duty in New York, the gulf in talent between starter and backup is as precipitous as possible.