Saquon Barkley might as well have quoted Jim Carrey’s character in the famous scene from “Dumb and Dumber.”
Sure, the Giants (4-8) have a 0.1 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN’s playoff projections, but those odds will increase with a victory Monday against the Packers (6-6) and continue to rise if the Giants can build on what is currently a two-game winning streak.
So, like Lloyd Christmas once said in the face of one-in-a-million odds, “So you’re saying there’s a chance.”
“We’re in this motherf—er, to be honest,” Barkley said of the team’s motivations. “I’m going to keep it real. We’re not looking too far, or in the hunt, or at playoff pictures. But if we take care of what we need to take care of — everyone can say what they want about the season — it’s Week [14] and everything we want is still there. We don’t need any extra motivation.”
On one hand, the Giants are feeling rejuvenated after beating the Commanders and Patriots with third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito and coming off a bye week.
On the other, they are six-point underdogs to the Packers, all four of their wins are against teams with a combined 10-29 record and have outscored 108-24 in four primetime games this season.
“No more excuses,” Barkley said. “Tommy DeVito is not a rookie quarterback any more, going into his fourth start. Injuries, we’ve got guys getting healthier.”
If the Giants, who still have to face the 10-2 Eagles twice, are going to make any noise, Barkley likely needs to carry the offensive load.
He has 697 rushing yards in nine games so far, so there is a possibility over the next five games that he could reach 1,000 for the fourth time in six seasons — one of which was lost to a torn ACL — and chase down Joe Morris (5,296) for third on the Giants’ career rushing lost.
“Growing up I kind of thought it was easier,” Barkley said. “Then when you get into the NFL, to consistently rush for 1,000 yards, [it’s not]. If I get 1,000 this year, I’ll be [close to] third on the list all-time. I can’t even lie and say that wouldn’t be a cool thing. To pretty much play five years … and average 1,000 yards every year, that’s not a bad start to the first half of your career.”
And yet the Giants only have made the playoffs once in that span, which is why Barkley isn’t ready to write off a season when a slim chance of achieving a goal still exists.
Barkley acknowledged that every game “from now on” is a “must-win.”
“I’ve been saying it and I always believe it,” Barkley said. “I know it sounds like I’m beating a dead horse, but I’m one of those guys who, if I’m in a fight and I’ve gotten my a— kicked for 11 rounds, the 12th round I can still can knock you out and get the win. Until we’re completely out of this thing, I still believe it.”