SEPTEMBER 21: While previous reports indicated the contrary, Barkley confirmed tonight that he did indeed suffer a high ankle sprain, per Thursday Night Football’s Taylor Rooks (h/t Pat Leonard of New York Daily News).
The running back admitted that his injury isn’t as serious as it could have been, and he said that his absence from tonight’s game was more due to pain tolerance. Barkley also pointed out that New York’s next game is in 11 days, so he’ll have some extra time to get right before Week 4. While Barkley wouldn’t guarantee only a one-game absence, it certainly sounds like he’s leaving that door open.
SEPTEMBER 20: Although Brian Daboll stopped short of ruling out Barkley earlier this week, the Giants have done so Wednesday. Barkley will at least miss one 49ers game, but Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com confirms the sixth-year veteran is not battling a high ankle sprain. That stands to shorten his time away.
The Giants will also be without Andrew Thomas for a second straight game, and left guard Ben Bredeson‘s concussion will keep him out of Big Blue’s Thursday-night tilt. Outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari will also be down for the Giants.
SEPTEMBER 18: Saquon Barkley was sidelined for the final offensive play of the Giants’ Week 2 comeback victory, and it was feared after the game he would be dealing with a serious ankle injury. The worst-case scenario has been avoided, but he is nevertheless set to miss time. 
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that an MRI revealed an “ordinary” ankle sprain for the Pro Bowl back. As a result, Barkley is expected to miss roughly three weeks. At a minimum, that will keep him sidelined for the team’s upcoming Thursday night contest against the 49ers.
Barkley played all but one snap in New York’s surprise win against the Cardinals, proving his importance to the team’s offense. Given his heavy workload, replacing him will be a tall order for the Giants as they look to rebound from the struggles suffered in the first six quarters of their season. That task will fall to Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell and Eric Gray.
After initially representing the team’s higher priority with respect to a long-term extension, Barkley saw quarterback Daniel Jones ink a four-year, $160MM pact in March. That allowed the Giants to use the franchise tag on the former No. 2 pick, though extension talks continued through to the deadline for players hit with the one-year tender. No deal materialized, with Barkley turning down offers which increased in AAV at the expense of guarantees.
In the end, a training camp holdout was avoided with the parties agreeing to a small incentive package which allows Barkley’s 2023 compensation to max out at $11MM. Individual statistical performances, along with team success, is required for his earnings to reach the maximum value, though, so any missed time is signficant from a financial outlook.
With Barkley unavailable for the time being, the Giants’ ground game will look much different. He leads the team in rushing yards with 114, putting him slightly ahead of Jones. Breida and Brightwell have combined for 19 yards on four carries, but an increased role for at least one of them will be necessary moving forward. An IR stint for Barkley is unlikely given his recovery timeline, but New York will no doubt proceed with caution with the 26-year-old given his status as an offensive focal point.
This is why RB salaries are going down. Let’s see Dan carry the team. I’m guessing a 3 week losing streak is coming up.
Bro shut up! He threw for 330 yards and rsn for 60 and a td. Will be ok. Wont lose cause of him
We’ll see.
$30M should be the reason they WIN because of him
He’s trash
He did that against the worst team in the league. A team that actively wants to lose every game this season so they can take Caleb Williams in the draft. Please. Daniel Jones is terrible.
They weren’t beating the 9ers with Barkley, so might as well rest up. Then he’ll have an additional 10-11 days so it will be a 2 full weeks going into the MNF game against the Hawks. They should have a better idea where he’s at by then. I would also sit Thomas to give him 2 more weeks for that hammy.
We have SF, Seattle, Mia and Bills the next 4 weeks. I’d be shocked if we went 1-3… and that’s with a totally healthy squad. That’s a really tough schedule for any team. Specially one in year 2 of a rebuild.
Without Barkley, the Giants are a paper tiger. Barkley’s presence is the juice that makes that offense work, even if Daniel Jones is the one throwing the ball (and sometimes running himself). The defense always has to worry about where Barkley is as he’s a home run threat on every play.
Can we have consistent reporting? I’ve read consecutive articles which list Barkley’s status ranging anywhere from Daboll considering having him play Thursday night to Barkley missing just Thursday and coming back the following week, to missing up to 3 weeks like this article.
Barkley knows the more he sits the lower his payday is in 2024.
All the Giants groupies in the NYC sports media are aghast that one of their heroes has been ruled out of a must-win game.
Shocking! Positively shocking!
How are your Jets doing, bro?
Danny Jones stunk it up vs. the 49ers. The Giants need Saquon back ASAP to have any chance to win.
I thought he looked ok. The offensive line couldn’t hold up against the 49er defense.