Packers-Giants Q&A: Saquon Barkley stuck in post-injury slump

On Sunday, the Green Bay Packers will travel east to take on the New York Giants. Ed Valentine of Big Blue View kindly volunteered to answer our questions about the Giants and provide some insight into their strengths and weaknesses.

APC: Since returning from a high-ankle sprain in Week 7, Saquon Barkley hasn’t looked like himself. Over the last five games, Barkley averages just 2.8 yards per carry and 44.8 yards per game on the ground. As a receiver, he averages just 4.8 catches for 37 yards during that span. Barkley only has two touchdowns from scrimmage in that time as well. Are these numbers lingering effects of the injury, symptoms of offensive dysfunction in New York, or some combination of the two?

I think it’s some combination of the two. I get frustrated by the way the Giants use Barkley, seeming to rely on running him up the middle all the time rather than into space on the edges. Still, I think the bigger issue is that he simply hasn’t been the same guy since the high ankle sprain. That explosion, the ability to make guys miss with impossible moves or cuts other players can’t make just hasn’t been there.

We’d like to thank Ed. Be sure to check out the rest of our Q&A session with Big Blue View over the course of the week as well as our Q&A session over there. As always, keep your internet machines tuned to Acme Packing Company this Sunday for our comprehensive game-day coverage of Packers versus Giants.