EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants.com weekly statistical update, or more accurately, the Saquon Barkley report.
Barkley's rookie season for the ages continued Sunday in the Giants' 40-16 victory in Washington. He rushed for 170 yards, the second-highest total by a rookie in Giants history (Bill Paschal has held the record of 188 yards since Dec. 5, 1943). Barkley also caught four passes and now leads the Giants in both rushing yards (1,124) and receptions (78, one more than Odell Beckham, Jr., who did not play Sunday because of a quad injury).
The Barkley rundown:
*He has five of the top 10 single-game rookie rushing totals in Giants history.
*Barkley is the first Giants back with four consecutive 100-yard rushing games since Tiki Barber had five in a row from No. 20-Dec. 17, 2005.
*He is the first Giants back with six 100-yard games in a season since Barber had eight in 2006.
*Barkley's 5.4 yards-per-carry average is the highest by a Giants back since Brandon Jacobs averaged 5.6 yards an attempt in 2010.
*If Barkley maintains his team-lead in catches, he will be the first Giants player to top the team in both rushing and receiving since Barber in 2003.
*Barkley's 1,124 rushing yards place him third in the NFL, behind Dallas' Ezekiel Elliott (1,262) and the Rams' Todd Gurley (1,203). But Barkley could still become the first Giants player to win the NFL rushing title since Eddie Price in 1951. The Rams have clinched first place in the NFC West, and Dallas could win the NFC East championship with a win this week. With those titles secured, their coaches may opt to rest or at least reduce the workloads of Elliott and Gurley in the final two games. Last year, Gurley was one of several Rams regulars whom coach Sean McVay made a game-day inactive in Week 17.
*Barkley's rushing yards place him 12th on the Giants' single-season list. He has averaged 121 yards over the last five games. If he maintains that pace in the final three weeks, he will climb to fourth.
*Barkley is second in the NFL with 1,753 yards from scrimmage, just 11 yards behind Elliott. That is the Giants' highest total since Barber finished with 2,127 yards (1,662 rushing, 465 receiving) in 2006, his final season. Barber is the last Giants player to lead the NFL in yards from scrimmage, with a team-record 2,390 in 2005 (a team-record 1,860 rushing and 530 receiving).
*With 78 receptions, Barkley needs 11 in the final three games to break Reggie Bush's 2006 record of 88 by a rookie running back.
And in non-Barkley news:
*The Giants' Week 15 roster includes just 13 players who were on the team's roster at the same juncture last season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the NFL's fewest number of holdovers. Cleveland and Oakland are tied for second at 16.
The 13 players are Zak DeOssie, Rhett Ellison, Evan Engram, Wayne Gallman, B.J. Goodson, John Greco, Eli Manning, Aldrick Rosas, Sterling Shepard, Dalvin Tomlinson, Olivier Vernon, Chad Wheeler and Kerry Wynn.
The list does not include players who were active last year and are now on injured reserve (such as Landon Collins) or players who were on injured reserve a year ago and are now active (including Beckham and Janoris Jenkins).
*Primarily because of Barkley, the Giants are averaging 4.8 yards a carry this season. That is their highest figure since they finished with a team-record 5.0-yard average in 2008, when they led the NFL in rushing.
*The Giants have three interception-return touchdowns this season, two by Alec Ogletree and one on Sunday by Curtis Riley. This is the first season in which the Giants have scored three touchdowns on interception runbacks since 2007, when cornerbacks Aaron Ross and Corey Webster and linebacker Kawika Mitchell each had one.
*None of the Giants' three interception touchdowns has been longer than 15 yards. They are the first team with three return touchdowns of short distances since the 2012 Indianapolis Colts.
*Ogletree leads all NFL linebackers with five interceptions, and he has tied the single-season record for interceptions by a Giants linebacker, set by Jerry Hillebrand in 1963.
*Aldrick Rosas has made 28 of 29 field goal attempts this season for an NFL-leading 96.6 success rate. New Orleans Wil Lutz and San Francisco's Robbie Gould, a former Giant, are tied for second at 96.2 percent (25 of 26). If Rosas maintains his pace, he will establish a franchise record, which is currently 93.8%, set by Josh Brown in 2015 (30 of 32).
*Rosas has scored 109 points, which leaves him sixth among NFL kickers.
*On Sunday, the Giants outscored the Redskins in the second quarter, 27-0, their most dominant 15 minutes since Sept. 24, 2006, when they outscored the Seahawks in the fourth quarter in Seattle, 27-0. Unfortunately, the Giants trailed entering that quarter, 42-3, and lost, 42-30.
*In Washington, the Giants scored on Barkley's 78-yard run and the Redskins on Josh Johnson's 79-yard pass to Jamison Crowder. It was the first Giants game in which each team scored a touchdown of at least 78 yards since Dec. 26, 2010, when the Giants scored on an 85-yard pass from Eli Manning to Mario Manningham, and the Packers on Aaron Rodgers' 80-yard pass to Jordy Nelson in Lambeau Field.
*The Giants had five sacks in each of their last two games, vs. Chicago and at Washington, the first time they've taken down opposing quarterbacks that often in back-to-back games since they did it in three consecutive games from Nov. 30-Dec. 14, 2014 (against Jacksonville, Tennessee and Washington).
*The Giants had just two accepted penalties on Sunday, while Washington had 15. It's the first time in their history the Giants had 13 fewer penalties than their opponents.
*The Giants' margin of victory on Sunday – 24 points – was significantly larger than their first four wins combined (15).
*The Giants' 227 rushing yards on Sunday was their highest total since they had 260 yards on the ground in the 2017 season finale – also against Washington.
*Washington's 288 yards was the lowest total allowed by the Giants this season. The lowest figure had been Dallas' 298 yards on Sept. 16.
*Washington's 16 points and 12 first downs were the lowest totals allowed by the Giants since the Redskins had 10 points and 10 first downs on Dec. 31, 2017.
*Washington quarterback Mark Sanchez completed six of 14 passes before he was replaced by Josh Johnson on Sunday. That was the fewest number of completions by a starting quarterback against the Giants since another Redskins quarterback, Colt McCoy, hit four of seven throws before leaving the game with a neck injury on Dec. 14, 2014. Sanchez started against the Giants because McCoy broke his leg the previous week in Philadelphia.
*Bennie Fowler and Russell Shepard became the 52nd and 53rd players to catch a regular-season touchdown pass from Eli Manning.
*The Giants are 27-8 when Manning throws three touchdown passes in a game.
*Ryan Kerrigan sacked Manning for a 14-yard loss on Sunday. He has at least one sack in four consecutive games against the Giants, and his 11.5 sacks of Manning leads all active players. Detroit's Ezekiel Ansah is second with 5.5 and current Giant Connor Barwin is third with 5.0. DeMarcus Ware is the all-time leader with 13.5.
*The Giants and Toyota, in partnership with the United States Marines, will hold their annual Toys for Tots drive at MetLife Stadium when they host the Titans on Sunday. Fans are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys to any of the Toyota collection vehicles located at each entrance to the stadium prior to the game. Uniformed Marine Corps Reserves and volunteers will be on hand to assist in collecting the donated gifts.
Modell's Sporting Goods has donated $2,500 worth of sports equipment to the cause and will hand out coupons to all fans who donate a toy. Coupons are redeemable at Modell's locations only. All gifts collected during the drive will be donated to Toys for Tots, the premier community action program of the United States Marines. Over the last 50 years, the Marines have distributed over 272,000,000 toys to children across the country during the holiday season.
Since the late 1970's, the Giants have participated in this program and hosted an annual Toys for Tots drive, helping to bring the joy of Christmas to children across the tri-state area. Once again, the Giants ask their friends and fans to join the team as we assist our neighbors in need.
