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The New York Giants' star running back in Saquon Barkley had a shaky start to his 2020 season. The team mightily missed his point production as they suffered a 26-16 defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers on their home turf.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin threw multiple defenders at the running back all throughout the game, knowing that he is the catalyst of the Giants' offense. Their schemes worked as they limited the former Penn State standout to only a total of 6 yards on 15 carries in their opening game.
Even Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger rushed more yards than him, having recorded 9 yards on 3 carries. According to Tom Rock of Newsday, that makes Barkley just the sixth player since the 1970 merger to rush for single-digit yards on 15 or more carries.
“I have to do better,” the third-year player said. “I have to do better for the team. We have to find a way to get the running game going.”
The Steelers' defensive line also made life miserable for Giants' quarterback Daniel Jones. He threw 279 passing yards on 26 out of 41 attempted passes along with 2 interceptions. His struggles playing against a tough defense prevented the Giants to attempt a late-game comeback.
Despite the loss, sophomore wide receiver Darius Slayton turned out to be a bright spot for Big Blue. He picked up where he left off from his stellar rookie campaign and accounted for 102 receiving yards on 6 receptions and scored 2 touchdowns for his team.
The Giants will need Saquon Barkley to find his groove if they want to go far into the season. They will tussle with the Chicago Bears next on September 20 to grab the first win of their 2020 campaign.
