If there’s been one bright spot for the New York Giants this season, it’s been Saquon Barkley. The rookie from Penn State has had quite the year, even with the team not performing to the same standard, and it looks like that year will be capped off by playing in the Pro Bowl after almost certainly finishing the season in the top three of the NFL rushing standings.
Barkley was one of three Giants selected, along with Landon Collins and Aldrick Rosas, but Collins will miss the game due to his injury and recent shoulder surgery. Still, the three selections to the game is probably higher than what most people would have expected given the poor start to the season that saw the Giants fall to the near bottom of the standings.
However, Barkley making it into the game is unsurprising. His performances have placed him at the #3 spot in the current rushing yards standings, and because of that, he’s the definite favorite in the race for Offensive Rookie of the Year. It’s not every year, after all, that you see a rookie come in and dominate at a high-profile position like running back immediately in the way that Barkley has.
A rookie running back hasn’t made the Pro Bowl since 1965, showing just how historic this feat actually is. Barkley was compared to the greats from early on, but not many believed that he would eclipse them in some areas already, such as making the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
Landon Collins, on the other hand, would be playing in his third straight Pro Bowl but because of his earlier shoulder injury, will miss the game. Aldrick Rosas was also selected, and will play in his first Pro Bowl following his third overall season, after entering the league in 2016 and joining the Giants last January.
This might not be the best season, but seeing some of the team’s players recognized offers at least some consolation once the season comes to a close. One can only hope that none of the three Giants players that have been selected pick up injuries during the game.