Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!
The initial consensus was that New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley would miss 6 to 8 weeks with a high ankle sprain. Suffered in the victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Barkley was forced out in the second quarter and has since visited two specialists to seek their opinions on his rehabilitation process.
High ankle sprains typically take about a month to heal and can linger for several more weeks. Barkley returned from a similar injury at Penn State in just two weeks numerous years ago, being that he is somewhat of a superhuman.
A reasonable time table for his return ultimately relies on how cautious the Giants want to take the injury. I imagine they will proceed with serious caution given the nature of the ailment and how influential Barkley is to the team.
Realistically, Barkley could return before the bye week. However, I believe the Giants will keep them out until week 12 against the Chicago Bears. That gives him nine weeks to fully recover and ensure that the injury doesn’t resurface. Over that span, the Giants face off against the Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, and the New York Jets.
By no means is this an easy schedule and the Giants will need to be at peak performance to overcome teams like the Patriots and Cowboys.
There is hope they can reach week 12 with a winning record, but it is unlikely in the second year of a rebuild and with rookie quarterback Daniel Jones at the helm. Struggles will be inevitable for Jones, and the Giants should be looking towards next year as their competitive season. Barkley’s health should be a priority and not rushing him back in hopes of contending this season is essential.
Nonetheless–
Your top news of the day:
Paul Schwartz – Saquon Barkley to visit ankle specialist for second opinion