Do the math.
“You want to win every game you can, so you definitely would rather be 3-1 than 2-2,’’ Saquon Barkley said.
Barkley did not need to use the calculator on his smartphone to figure this out. It is early enough in the season to need only one hand to recall what has transpired thus far. It was 1-0 then 2-0 for the Giants, then 2-1, and here they are, favored Sunday against the Bears at MetLife Stadium.
It is forecast to be rainy and windy as the remnants of Hurricane Ian head north, harsh conditions that could further enfeeble the offensive foibles of two teams that get up and down the field with the greatest of unease.
Style points and real points do not need to coexist here, as either the Giants or the Bears will be 3-1 (barring a rare tie) after this game, and that is a record to be reckoned with, even though neither of these teams is regarded as much of a threat to anyone other than themselves.
Owning a 2-2 record after the 2-0 start would be a downer for the Giants. There would be an uplift at 3-1, no matter what, for a rebuilding team that was predicted in many precincts to win only a handful of games out of the 17 on the schedule.
“You don’t go into any game with the mindset like, ‘OK, if we’re 2-2 then what?’ ” Barkley said. “If that happens, then you prepare for that, but you go in with the mindset of trying to do whatever you can to win a game. If you can get to 3-1 in the first quarter of a season, obviously not looking too far ahead, never satisfied, but I would say that’s a pretty good start. We got to find a way to get to 3-1 against a very good team who’s playing really well. So, we’ll try to capitalize on that.’’
Barkley has a history at work here. When he says “We play the Bears every year’’ he is right on the money. He has faced this NFC North opponent every year since he arrived in 2018, and there have been highs and lows along the way. He ran for 125 yards as a rookie to lead the Giants to an upset victory over the playoff-bound Bears. He went down in Week 2 in 2020 in Chicago with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Late in the 2021 season, Barkley reclaimed some of his mojo with his first post-ACL 100-yard rushing game in a loss at Soldier Field.
“The hurdle that I felt like everyone is talking about, I feel like that was the hurdle for me last year,’’ Barkley said. “For that one, going back to Chicago to the place where I tore my knee to have a 100-yard game. Obviously, it’s all about the team but looking at it from my mindset to go to that place, that kind of put everything in the past for me, and I was able to go into the offseason healthy.’’
The Giants need greatness out of Barkley now more than ever. Their offensive line could not protect Daniel Jones a lick Monday night in a 23-16 loss to the Cowboys. The receiver corps is quite a collection: Kenny Golladay, Richie James, David Sills, Darius Slayton and whomever the Giants activate off the practice squad.
Barkley was clearly frustrated with himself against the Cowboys after a third-quarter run picked up 6 yards, and he felt it should have broken it for more, had he been more aggressive. Two plays later, Barkley with an outrageous jump-cut made amends with a 36-yard touchdown jaunt.
“I know I missed it before, and D.J. was like, ‘Hit that motherf–ker,’ and I hit it and we scored,’’ Barkley said.
He would not go as far as to state he is a better player now than he was before his knee surgery.
“I would say I’m probably a smarter player,’’ Barkley said.
Smart enough, to be sure, to know how much better 3-1 looks than 2-2.