There are so many reasons why the Giants have hit the skids and so many warning signs that they might struggle to scrape together the two or three more wins it will take to put the franchise in the playoffs for the first time in five years, preventing a massive downer from infiltrating what was shaping up to be an uplifting season.
Two of those reasons cannot involve Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones, the players who let the team down at the most critical point of the Thanksgiving Day 28-20 loss to the Cowboys.
Barkley and Jones, Jones and Barkley. Saquon and Daniel. To save 2022 — and to help ensure they will be back in 2023 — these two dedicated and classy individuals, so loyal to the cause, must rise above the slop they served up in the third quarter, when it was still anyone’s game and their head coach, Brian Daboll, decided to take a gamble and their offensive coordinator, Mike Kafka, entrusted them to turn the gamble into a winning hand.
The gamble by Daboll on fourth-and-1 from the Giants’ 45-yard line — was appropriate. The call by Kafka, with the Giants trailing 14-13, was solid. The execution by Jones and Barkley was abysmal. Jones, who rarely appeared comfortable in a moving pocket, took a step to his right and got rid of the ball quickly. Too quickly. He threw a sinker, low and away, forcing Barkley to reach back and break stride, and that messed with his footing. He did get both hands on the ball, and when that happens, a catch needs to follow. It did not. The Cowboys were in full-scale momentum-stealing mode, and the game was lost.
Barkley, on cue, said it was his fault. Jones, true to form, said it was his fault. They both were accountable and totally correct in their assessments.
In the final six games, Barkley and Jones must be the reason why the Giants succeed and not examples of why things went awry. There are major injury issues and depth issues and talent issues. Jones and Barkley cannot be the issues.
The Giants get a three-day weekend to heal up, and the offense should be bolstered by the returns of right tackle Evan Neal and tight end Daniel Bellinger. When they get back to work, preparing for a Week 13 game against the surging Commanders, the Giants must have their starting quarterback and No. 1 running back ready to lead the charge and not drop the ball or throw it into the ground.
Barkley is trending down, and that is a concern. In a four-day span that included losses to the Lions and Cowboys, he ran the ball 26 times and gained only 61 yards, a paltry average of 2.3 yards per attempt. The swoon comes after Barkley carried the ball a career-high 35 times in a victory over the Texans.
There is no doubt the upheaval on the offensive line — injuries forced three backups into starting roles against the Cowboys — has narrowed the running lanes for Barkley. He has 992 rushing yards, and barring anything crazy going down, he will reach 1,000 rushing yards for the third time in his five seasons. He has been dealing with a bruised shoulder, and perhaps that is limiting his effectiveness. The Giants need him at his very best the rest of the way, and wear and tear cannot be part of the discussion.
“We’re definitely still confident,’’ Barkley said.
Jones threw two interceptions in the loss to the Lions and he did not make himself a running threat in the rematch with the Cowboys after busting loose for 79 rushing yards in the Week 3 loss. Daboll said Jones had run-pass options “so he ended up throwing. He ran zone reads, boots. We just didn’t do enough.’’
Indeed, Jones did not do enough. The Giants will not be able to conjure up more attractive wide receiver options for him. He has what he has, and Jones has to find a way to rise above what he is dealing with. He must regain the form that presented problems with his arm and his legs or else the Giants’ problems will go from bad to worse and their season will end after their Week 18 game in Philadelphia.
“We’ve got a really good opportunity going forward,’’ Jones said. “We know that we have some big games down the stretch, and we put ourselves in a good position. We’ve got to heal up and take advantage of this long week. We’re still confident. We’re 7-4. We’ve got a lot still to accomplish.”
It is all still out there for the Giants. They do not need to run the table or soar to heights they cannot hope to reach. They need to win a few more games in December. It is not too much to ask Jones and Barkley to lead the way.