Even after a blowout loss in which the Giants were forced to go away from their running game, Saquon Barkley said he has learned not to approach subsequent games with the mindset that he needs to put the team’s offense on his back.

The last time the Pro Bowl running back did that, he said Thursday, things went horribly wrong.

“I don’t think that’s the mindset. I kind of let myself get trapped in that [thinking] before,” Barkley said after practice. “A couple of years ago against Pittsburgh, I didn’t have too good of a game, and the next week I came out saying I want to do this and do that, and trying to be a superhero and making all these plays, and I ended up tearing my ACL.”

In 2020, during a season-opening 26-16 loss to the Steelers, Barkley ran for just 6 yards on 15 carries.

The next week at Chicago, he started off strongly with 28 yards on four rushing attempts before he tore his right ACL during the second quarter of a loss to the Bears.

The injury required season-ending surgery.

“I won’t allow myself to ever really get caught up in that again,” said Barkley, who had 51 yards on 12 carries Sunday against the Cowboys. “But I want to be the guy for my team every single week, no matter what happened prior, the week before. I want to go out there and make plays.”

Left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring) was in full pads, but was limited to individual drills in practice after he sat out Wednesday.

His status for the game Sunday at Arizona remains uncertain.

“He’s a tough guy and said he wants to come out and do some stuff and see how he feels,” head coach Brian Daboll said before practice. “So, it’s good to have him out there, but we’ll see how much he does.”

TE Darren Waller (hamstring) said he expects to play Sunday.

LB Azeez Ojulari (hamstring) also was among those listed as a limited participant.

WR Sterling Shepard (vet day) and practice squad CB Amani Oruwariye (neck) did not practice.

During his weekly media availability, special teams coach Thomas McGaughey declined several times to discuss specifics of the blocked field goal that the Cowboys returned for a touchdown in the first quarter.

“They made a play, and we’re on to Arizona,” McGaughey said. “A lot of different things we’d like to have back and that’s definitely one of them. I’m done with it, it’s over, we’ll learn from it and get better.”