Byard Aims For Repeat Performance by Giants RB
In this story:
NASHVILLE – Kevin Byard has not forgotten how good Saquon Barkley can be.
The Tennessee Titans safety also remembers how well things turned out when he and the rest of the defense dedicated themselves to making sure Barkley had a bad day.
As a result, the fifth-year running back is the first thing Byard thinks about as he looks ahead to Tennessee’s 2022 season-opener against the New York Giants, Sept. 11 at Nissan Stadium.
“We’re going to really have to make sure that we’re gang-tackling this guy because when we played them in 2018 that was a big thing we talked about,” Byard said this week. “It was like, you don’t want to have too many open-field tackles with just one guy [against him]. We want to make sure everybody’s at the point of attack to make sure this guy doesn’t have any explosive runs.”
It worked on Dec. 16, 2018, the only time Barkley has faced the Titans in his career. Then, he was well on his way to being named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, had a streak of four straight games with at least 100 rushing yards and had 13 combined touchdowns (rushing and receiving) in 13 games. He finished the year with a league-leading 2,208 yards from scrimmage.
Tennessee held Barkley to 31 rushing yards on 14 carries and 25 receiving yards on four catches. More than half of his rushing yards came on one carry (a 17-yard gain early in the second quarter). Barkley did not score a touchdown, and neither did any of his teammates.
The result was a 17-0 Titans victory, one of just two shutouts they have had in four seasons under coach Mike Vrabel.
Since then, Barkley has battled his share of injuries. There were ankle issues early in 2019 and 2021 that caused him to miss three and four games, respectively. In between was a torn knee ligament that ended his 2020 season in Week 2.
Over the past three seasons, he has rushed for 1,630 yards and produced 2,391 yards from scrimmage, numbers that barely exceed those he put up as a rookie.
None of that interests Byard.
“Guys have injuries all the time,” he said. “Obviously, Derrick Henry had an injury and knowing from camp how hard he’s worked to be back, and he looks like he’s full speed – the old Derrick Henry that we all know and love.
“So, I think the same thing with Saquon.”
The Week 1 matchup will be the first for the Giants under Brian Daboll, their third head coach since they selected Barkley second overall in the 2018 draft.
But Byard expects a similar approach – and a similar threat – from Barkley as was the case four years ago.
“They’re going to feed that man the rock, and that’s what we know,” Byard said. “He has a huge lower half – his quads, all that – and it’s going to be a challenge for one guy to bring him down. So, I think that’s going to be our first and foremost key is to make sure we’re stopping the run.
“… I’ve been really studying their personnel. They have a lot of guys they can get the ball to. But Saquon is going to be number-one. … Obviously, Saquon Barkley is going to be their bell cow.”
