The New York Giants are a bit banged up heading into their Week 5 clash against the Miami Dolphins.
They will be without multiple players on their offensive line, and running back Saquon Barkley is among a group of players listed as questionable.
RB Saquon Barkley is questionable. All 3 #Giants offensive linemen — Shane Lemieux, John Michael Schmitz, Andrew Thomas are all out.
TE Daniel Bellinger and LB Micah McFadden also questionable
— Ryan Dunleavy (@rydunleavy) October 6, 2023
Barkley is looking to return to action after missing New York’s last two games. In Week 1, he rushed for 51 yards on 12 carries. In Week 2, he had 63 rushing yards on 17 carries while finding the end zone twice (once through the air).
The running back’s status is perhaps the most notable one to monitor for the Giants heading into Sunday’s battle, though it’s certainly worth noting that given the injured state of New York’s offensive line, Barkley could have a tough time being effective even if he does play.
For that same reason, the Giants may choose to be careful with Barkley so that he doesn’t sustain unnecessary hits behind a thin offensive front.
New York is 1-3 on the season and could really use a win in Week 5 to get back on track. The Dolphins, meanwhile are 3-1 after taking their first loss in Week 4.
With Barkley sidelined in Week 3, the Giants rushed for just 29 yards as a team, though they did bounce back in Week 4 with a 112-yard performance on the ground.
The Dolphins are dealing with some injury woes of their own, but they have a relatively manageable stretch coming up, as three of their next four games will come against teams that currently have losing records. They’ll need to take advantage of games against teams like the Giants if they want to keep pace with the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East.
The Giants and Dolphins haven’t met since the 2021 season when Brian Flores was still at the helm in Miami. The Dolphins came away with a 20-9 win with quarterback Daniel Jones sidelined in that one.
This coming Sunday, both Jones and Tua Tagovailoa should be ready to go, setting the stage for a solid quarterback matchup. Jones could really use a big game after a rocky start to the season, as he has thrown six interceptions so far.
