Jaguars' defense preparing for unknown in Giants RB Saquon Barkley

Barkley only played in one preseason game

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jalen Ramsey versus Odell Beckham Jr. isn’t the only matchup worth watching when the Jacksonville Jaguars open the 2018 regular season against the New York Giants on Sunday. 

There's no doubt running back Saquon Barkley is the most-hyped rookie to join the Giants since future Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor donned the blue in 1981.

Barkley, who was taken No. 2 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, had four carries for 43 yards in the Giants preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns. He hasn’t played in a game since. 

The former Penn State star strained slightly strained a hamstring on Aug. 13 and didn't play in the final three preseason games. It was a precautionary move. 

 "I just want to play," Barkley said after a short practice Monday. "It's finally here. The season is finally here. I didn't get to play as much as I would like in the preseason, but now it's here and it counts now, so I am just excited to get on the road. You can tell, the energy of the team is high and we're all just excited for this game and this season."

Barkley is expected to get than chance on Sunday against a defense that led Jacksonville to the AFC Championship Game a season ago. 

Due to the limited amount of NFL film on Barkley the Jaguars have had to get creative with their preparation for the Giants running back. 

“You don’t have to much film during week one,” said linebacker Myles Jack. “It’s preseason so they’re only going to show you a couple of things, but they’re not going to show their whole offense. A guy like Saquon [Barkley] you’ve got to watch his highlight tape on youtube and try and see if you can find a game from Penn State where they played against defense similar to ours.”
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