Scouting Report: New York Giants Running Back Saquon Barkley

This week's scouting report focuses on New York Giants Pro Bowl RB Saquon Barkley

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Stop me if you've heard this phrase before: It's been a tough week to be a Lions fan. 

Not only was Detroit's go-to back Kerryon Johnson placed on injured reserve with a right knee injury Tuesday, but also starting safety Quandre Diggs, a team captain, was traded away to the Seattle Seahawks.

Two crushing blows to the Lions fanbase that was already feeling dejected after suffering three straight losses, including an ugly 42-30 defeat at home this past Sunday to the Minnesota Vikings.

It dropped Matt Patricia & Co. to 2-3-1, their first sub-.500 mark of the season.    

At this point, Detroit fans don't have much to be positive about. 

The only thing that can likely uplift their spirits -- at least a little bit -- is a victory on Sunday against the lowly New York Giants (2-5).

Standing in the way of that, though, will be 2018 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and Giants running back Saquon Barkley.   

The Lions have been gashed all season long by opponents' ground games (139.2 rushing yards allowed per game), and surely don't catch a break in having to face Barkley.

The second-year back rushed for 100-plus yards in back-to-back weeks to kick off the 2019 campaign -- 120 yards in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys and 107 in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills -- before being sidelined by a high-ankle sprain. 

The injury occurred in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it put him on the shelf for three weeks. 

He returned to the field last week against the Arizona Cardinals, and rushed for 72 yards and a score on 18 carries.

The Lions, meanwhile, allowed Vikings third-year running back Dalvin Cook to run all over them last week for 142 yards and two scores.

And Barkley, unlike Cook, is a major threat as a pass catcher out of the backfield.

Remember, Barkley, the Giants' 2018 first-round pick (No. 2 overall), accounted for 2,028 yards from scrimmage a season ago. 

While 1,307 of those yards came via the ground, 721 came from Barkley being a pass catcher.  

In eclipsing 2,000 scrimmage yards, he became only the third player in NFL history to accomplish the feat as a rookie -- Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson (2,212 yards in 1983) and longtime Indianapolis Colt Edgerrin James (2,139 in 1999) were the others to do it.

It was a magnificent season from the Penn State product, despite the Giants offense, as a whole, being very mediocre in what could have been two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning's last full season as a starting quarterback.

Now with a rookie passer under center in New York 2019 first-rounder Daniel Jones (the No. 6 overall pick), even more of NYG head coach Pat Shurmur's offensive game plan revolves around Barkley.    

And from the Lions' perspective, much of their defensive game plan will be focused on curtailing the production of the G-Men's 22-year-old phenom.

My prediction: Barkley busts out his first 100-yard game on the ground since Wk. 2, but the Giants fall short in the contest due to the ineffectiveness of Jones and the passing game.

Find out the score I have for the game by reading our Sunday predictions piece.  

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