Why Saquon Barkley Believes Giants Have Turned Page
To say that the New York Giants were embarrassed in Week 1 by the Dallas Cowboys would be an understatement.
But if anyone is concerned about the Giants tucking their tails between their legs and retreating to a corner to cower, running back and team co-captain Saquon Barkley said that's not the case.
“It's a new week, and we can't let what happened in Week 1 affect us in Week 2,” Barkley said Thursday. “This (Cardinals game) is a big game, but that’s because it’s the next game. That’s always the mentality. You’ve got to win as many games as possible because you’re only guaranteed 17.”
Barkley admitted that the film was a tough pill to swallow but also a very necessary one to identify what they did well and what they still need to address.
“We went back, and we watched the film as a team. Saw the little good we did in that game, recognized the bad where we didn’t execute, and we moved on," he said.
"Good teams recover, too. It’s not going to be our only adversity throughout this year. So, we’ve got to see how we respond, and it's on us as players and leaders to make sure that doesn't happen.”
For his part, Barkley had 51 rushing yards on 12 carries against Dallas before eventually being taken out of the game when the score got out of hand.
But while Barkley and the Giants claim to be mentally prepared for the next week, they still have the disastrous first game on their minds to hold themselves accountable.
In particular, Barkley held himself and the offense accountable for completely sputtering after the momentum shifted in Dallas’s favor. The first drive saw the Giants advance as far as the Dallas 8-yard line, but it ended with a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown.
From there, New York’s offense couldn’t get anything going, and the game got away from the team.
“That’s on us," Barkley said. "We’ve got to stop the bleeding, and we didn't do that. That's how games like that get out of hand, especially against a really good team. That’s any team in the NFL, to be honest.”
Nonetheless, Barkley and the Giants aren’t overreacting to the lopsided defeat, which makes sense because it is still very early in the season. According to Barkley, there wasn’t a heightened sense of urgency during practice, but he sees that as a good thing.
“You can't act like the sky is falling. That's for everyone else to do that,” he said. “But we’ve got to stay solid within this locker room and this building. I think we did that, and like I said, hopefully, on Sunday, we can go out there and show you guys.”
Although the Arizona Cardinals are regarded by many to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season, Barkley refuses to take them lightly.
“Arizona is a really good team. They play hard, their defense ran to the ball well against Washington, they tackle well, and they play physical,” Barkley said. “So we’ve got a tough challenge against them, and we’ve just got to come out and play football the way we know we can.”
- Get the latest breaking news and analysis on the New York Giants
- Follow and like us on Facebook
- Submit your questions for our mailbag
- Check out the Giants Country YouTube Channel.
- Subscribe and like the LockedOn Giants YouTube Channel
- Connect with us via text alerts! Free 14 Day Trial!
