How good has this guy been? While the New York Giants brought their disappointing season to a close last night, the past 16 games have had one glaring bright spot. The play of rookie running back Saquon Barkley has been nothing short of phenomenal, consistently putting up numbers that go beyond what one could expect from any first year player.
In last night's season closer against the Dallas Cowboys, Barkley put up 109 yards rushing and 33 yards receiving. However, it was his fourth quarter touchdown that got everybody talking.
With the Giants trailing by three points and just over three minutes remaining in the game, they were only two yards from the Cowboys end zone. It was expected they would hand the ball off to Barkley to pound it home, but what happened next was nothing short of spectacular.
.@Saquon just dunked on 'em.
📺: FOX #GiantsPride https://t.co/v14QhI6itq— NFL (@NFL) December 30, 2018
Wow. The athleticism on show here is incredible, with a vertical jump any NBA player would be proud of. The running back started his leap from five yards out, before hurdling over the defensive linesmen.
Many have compared it to the famous Michael Jordan touchdown from the movie Space Jam, and it is not hard to see why.
That Saquon Barkley TD got us thinking ... pic.twitter.com/2lCp76SRdv
— ESPN (@espn) December 30, 2018
Despite their young running back's heroics, the Giants would fail to close out the game. Dak Prescott would come up with this magnificent 40-yard touchdown pass on the run, with Cole Beasley just managing to get his feet down and pull off the catch.
.@dak ➡️ @Bease11 FOR. THE. WIN.
📺: FOX #DALvsNYGhttps://t.co/wL0qZBCtPS— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 30, 2018
They would go on to score a 2-point conversion to ice the game, and the Cowboys now advance to the play-offs, where they will host the Seattle Seahawks in the wildcard round.
For the Giants, they will be hoping to build on an improved performance this year, mostly fuelled by the second-overall pick from the 2018 draft. Barkley has the chance to be a generational talent at the running back position, as evidenced by his numbers from this season.
.@saquon can do it ALL.
He joins Eric Dickerson and Edgerrin James as the only rookies in NFL history with 2,000 scrimmage yards in a season. pic.twitter.com/fJ0L1guXZT— ESPN (@espn) December 30, 2018
.@saquon making milestone moves 🙌 pic.twitter.com/JzsY0pCArt
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 30, 2018
His mixture of rushing and catching ability make him a nightmare match-up. Along with OBJ, the Giants certainly have some fantastic offensive weapon. Now they need to find a quarter back capable of supplying them, with Eli Manning well past his best. The franchise will select at sixth position in the 2019 NFL Draft, and a quarterback will surely be their priority.
