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Saquon Barkley named NFC Offensive Player of the Week

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants emerged from their overtime victory in Washington last week with two worthy candidates for the NFC Offensive Player of the Week Award in Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones. But only one of them could be cited.

And the winner is…Barkley.

The second-year running back and 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year set a Giants record with 279 yards from scrimmage (189 rushing and 90 receiving) in the 41-35 win over the Redskins. The previous record of 276 yards was set by Tiki Barber vs. Philadelphia on Dec. 28, 2002. Barber rushed for 203 yards and added 73 receiving yards.

Barkley's 279 scrimmage yards are the highest total by an NFL player in a game this season. He easily outdistanced the previous mark of 245 yards, set by Jacksonville's Leonard Fournette in a victory in Denver on Sept. 29. Fournette rushed for 225 yards and added 20 more on two receptions.

Barkley rushed for a career-high 189 yards on 22 carries, the longest a 67-yard touchdown. He set his previous best in his only other game in Washington; on Dec. 9, 2018, he ran for 170 yards, including a 78-yard touchdown. His 189 yards on the ground are the highest total by a Giants running back since Oct. 7, 2012, when Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 200 yards in a victory against Cleveland.

Barkley had 108 rushing yards on his fourth carry. That is the fewest attempts a Giants back has needed to reach 100 yards since Dec. 31, 2005, when Barber did it in three at Oakland. One of those runs was a team-record 95-yarder. Barkley's previous low number of carries to reach 100 yards was eight, which he also did on Dec. 9, 2018 at Washington.

The 100-yard game was Barkley's fourth of the season and 11th of his career, tying him with Eddie Price for sixth on the franchise's all-time list. Barkley has rushed for 911 yards this season and needs 89 yards in the season finale vs. Philadelphia to become the first Giants player to begin a career with two 1,000-yard seasons. He ran for 1,307 yards in 2018.

Barkley's 67-yard touchdown run is the third-longest score of his career. He scored on the 78-run vs. the Redskins in FedExField on Dec. 9, 2018 and on a 68-yard run in his first NFL game, vs. Jacksonville on Sept. 9, 2018. The 67-yard run is the Giants' longest of the season. The previous long was Barkley's 59-yard at Dallas on Sept. 8.

Barkley also caught four passes for 90 yards, including a 51-yarder and a 33-yard touchdown. He was the second Giants player to score rushing and receiving touchdowns in the same game and both players did it against Washington. On Sept. 29, Wayne Gallman scored on a six-yard catch and a one-yard run. This is the third time Barkley has scored rushing and receiving touchdowns in the same game. In a victory against Tampa Bay on Nov. 18, 2018, Barkley had touchdowns on a six-yard reception and five and two-yard runs. The following week in Philadelphia, he scored on a 13-yard reception and a 51-yard run.

The Washington game was the second time Barkley had a run and a catch of 50+ yards in the same game. On Oct. 11, 2018, he scored on a 50-yard run and added a 55-yard catch vs. Philadelphia.

Barkley is the fifth player with at least 275 scrimmage yards and both a rushing and receiving touchdown in a single game since 1970, joining Priest Holmes (Week 13, 2001 and Week 12, 2002), Chris Johnson (Week 2, 2009), Herschel Walker (Week 15, 1986) and Delvin Williams (Week 9, 1976). Barkley also joined Billy Cannon (Dec. 10, 1961), Williams (Nov. 7, 1976) and Holmes (Nov. 24, 2002) as the only players in NFL history with at least 175 rushing yards, 90 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a game.

Jones made his bid for the award by completing 28 of 42 passes for 352 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions for a passer rating of 132.1. Jones' 352 passing yards are the second-highest total by a Giants rookie, behind Charlie Conerly's 363 yards at Pittsburgh on Dec. 5, 1948. In addition, Jones became just the fifth rookie to ever throw five touchdown passes in a game.

The Giants are the first team in NFL history to have a player with five touchdown passes and a player with 275+ scrimmage yards in the same game.

Jones was named Player of the Week after his starting debut at Tampa Bay on Sept. 22, when he threw for 336 yards and was responsible for four touchdowns – two throwing and two running, including the game-winning seven-yarder with 1:16 remaining.

This is Barkley's second POW award. He was honored for his performance in a 2018 Week 11 victory vs. Tampa Bay, when he rushed for 142 yards and two scores and added a third touchdown on a six-yard reception.

View photos of Giants running back Saquon Barkley's time with the New York Giants.

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