EAST RUTHERFORD , N.J. (AP) — Saquon Barkley unveiled a few goals for the final three weeks of the regular season for the New York Giants.Of course, winning is No. 1. Leading the NFL in rushing either this year or down the road is high on his wish list, and so is greatness.The last one might be the most surprising. There is little doubt Barkley is on the verge of greatness after 13 games, but the fact the humble 21-year-old mentioned it might raise some eyebrows.Barkley rushed for 170 yards on 14 carries on Sunday as the Giants (5-
posted their most impressive win in years with a 40-16 thrashing of the Washington Redskins. The effort was highlighted by a 78-yard touchdown run and it gave him the second pick overall in the draft 1,124 yards rushing, third in the league behind Ezekiel Elliott of Dallas (1,262) and Todd Gurley (1,203) of the Rams.“Getting 1,000 yards in the NFL is an amazing accomplishment and being the first rookie ever for the Giants to do that is even a bigger one” Barkley said Monday. “It’s big because even though my name might go in the record book, it’s not just myself — it’s the offensive line play and the guys in the running back room, all those guys have been a tremendous help.”Barkley, who says he learned his current standing in rushing leaders from social media, has moved up the list with four straight games of at least 100 yards on the ground.“It’s an honor to be up there, but at the end of the day, that doesn’t really matter,” said Barkley, who has four touchdown runs of 50 yards or more. “It only matters how many wins you get and we’ve got to figure out how to continue to get those wins.”After going 1-7 , the Giants have won four of five since their bye week. The only game they lost was to the Eagles after blowing a 16-point first-half lead. New York has an outside chance to make the playoffs as a wild card.Barkley, who also leads the Giants with 78 catches, will chase that and his other goals.“I want to be great. I want to go down as one of the best, and that’s not just going to happen in one day,” Barkley said. “You have to work for it, obviously with the help of your teammates, but if I don’t get it this year, I’m going to get it at some point. I promise you.”Giants rookie cornerback Grant Haley smiled when asked if he was surprised by what his former Penn State teammate is doing as a pro.“I think it is kind of funny, everyone’s reactions on the sideline when he makes runs,” Haley said. “I’m just sitting there, and I mean it’s still impressive, but I’ve seen that before. He just so special.”The Giants, who struggled to score early in the season, have averaged 31.4 points in the past five games.Receiver Sterling Shepard, who had big blocks on Barkley’s two longest runs, said the running game is going to open up the passing game for Eli Manning.“I just know that you give him a couple of touches, he’s going to make something big happen out of those couple of touches, so he’s a player that’s special ,” Shepard said. “You got to give him the ball and he can make magic happen.”NOTES: Shepard, who had two catches for 17 yards and a touchdown, picked up a game ball for his blocking. …WR Odell Beckham Jr., who missed Sunday’s game with a quadriceps injury, is feeling better, coach Pat Shurmur said. … TE Rhett Ellison, who sprained an ankle, also is feeling better. S Curtis Riley, who scored on a 9-yard interception return, has a sprained wrist. … The practice squad contract of P Brock Miller was terminated. … The game at Indianapolis on Dec. 23 has been moved from Fox to CBS but remains a 1 p.m. EST start. NEW ORLEANS (AP)Saints coach Sean Payton had a full night and morning to reflect on and review how much of an effect officiating really had on New Orleans’ narrow loss to Atlanta. By Friday afternoon, it sounded like the coach had decided that his initial concerns were warranted, and that it’s a problem the league should address. ”The officiating was extremely poor,” Payton said in a conference call. ”Inconsistent would be a great way to put it. I thought that had a lot to do with the way this game ended.” The way the game ended was costly for the Saints. New Orleans (9-4) missed an opportunity to strengthen its hold on first place in the NFC South, which now has three teams within a game of one another; Carolina (8-4) sits in second place and Atlanta (8-5) in third. The Saints also lost several players to injury during Thursday night’s 20-17 loss, but Payton seemed most concerned by the penalty flags that were thrown against his team – or weren’t thrown against the Falcons. Payton said he ”went through every one of `em – and the ones that weren’t called. Too many inconsistencies.” The Saints were penalized 11 times for 87 yards, and the Falcons gained nine first downs by penalty. Payton would not address all of the calls he disagreed with, but he did single out a roughing-the-passer call on defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins against Matt Ryan. The penalty came at the end of third-down incompletion, keeping alive a drive that ended with Atlanta’s first touchdown. ”I know what that rule’s in place for ,” Payton said, ”but it wasn’t in place for what happened with Sheldon.” The officiating ”has been a problem all year and it’s something that’s going to have to be addressed from a leadership standpoint at the top in our league office. ”It’s frustrating when you have a game, instead of it being decided on the field like it’s supposed to, you have a crew make so many mistakes in one event.” After Matt Bryant’s 52-yard goal gave Atlanta a 20-17 lead with 3:49 left, Drew Brees drove New Orleans into position for a tying field goal or winning touchdown. But linebacker Deion Jones made a leaping interception of a Brees pass in the end zone with 1:25 left. The Saints lost their last chance to get the ball back when an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Payton – who had angrily rushed onto the field to communicate with an official – gave the Falcons a first down that enabled them to run out the clock. Payton said after the game that he was trying to call a timeout when one of the officials ”asked me again.” ”I said, `I’ve already called the timeout,”’ Payton said. ”I probably said it with a little more oomph or vigor than I was supposed to, but I had enough. I’ve got to be smarter than that.” Payton said Friday that he had not heard from the league office about any further sanctions. He said the process of reporting disputed calls to NFL headquarters is ”a waste of energy.” The NFL automatically reviews any penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct toward officials to determine if any further disciplinary action is warranted. Even the Saints’ star on offense could have had a bigger game if not for the officiating, Payton said. Michael Thomas caught 10 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. ”He made some big plays,” Payton said. ”He was held on two or three occasions. We have to get him more touches, but he was impressive.” Meanwhile, the Saints will be monitoring the health of half a dozen players injured during the game: running back Alvin Kamara (concussion), guard Senio Kelemete (concussion), wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. (undisclosed), linebacker A.J. Klein (groin), defensive end Trey Hendrickson (ankle) and safety Kenny Vaccaro (groin). The Saints have extra time heal up before their next game, at home Dec. 17 against the New York Jets. New Orleans hosts Atlanta in a rematch on Dec. 24. —
posted their most impressive win in years with a 40-16 thrashing of the Washington Redskins. The effort was highlighted by a 78-yard touchdown run and it gave him the second pick overall in the draft 1,124 yards rushing, third in the league behind Ezekiel Elliott of Dallas (1,262) and Todd Gurley (1,203) of the Rams.“Getting 1,000 yards in the NFL is an amazing accomplishment and being the first rookie ever for the Giants to do that is even a bigger one” Barkley said Monday. “It’s big because even though my name might go in the record book, it’s not just myself — it’s the offensive line play and the guys in the running back room, all those guys have been a tremendous help.”Barkley, who says he learned his current standing in rushing leaders from social media, has moved up the list with four straight games of at least 100 yards on the ground.“It’s an honor to be up there, but at the end of the day, that doesn’t really matter,” said Barkley, who has four touchdown runs of 50 yards or more. “It only matters how many wins you get and we’ve got to figure out how to continue to get those wins.”After going 1-7 , the Giants have won four of five since their bye week. The only game they lost was to the Eagles after blowing a 16-point first-half lead. New York has an outside chance to make the playoffs as a wild card.Barkley, who also leads the Giants with 78 catches, will chase that and his other goals.“I want to be great. I want to go down as one of the best, and that’s not just going to happen in one day,” Barkley said. “You have to work for it, obviously with the help of your teammates, but if I don’t get it this year, I’m going to get it at some point. I promise you.”Giants rookie cornerback Grant Haley smiled when asked if he was surprised by what his former Penn State teammate is doing as a pro.“I think it is kind of funny, everyone’s reactions on the sideline when he makes runs,” Haley said. “I’m just sitting there, and I mean it’s still impressive, but I’ve seen that before. He just so special.”The Giants, who struggled to score early in the season, have averaged 31.4 points in the past five games.Receiver Sterling Shepard, who had big blocks on Barkley’s two longest runs, said the running game is going to open up the passing game for Eli Manning.“I just know that you give him a couple of touches, he’s going to make something big happen out of those couple of touches, so he’s a player that’s special ,” Shepard said. “You got to give him the ball and he can make magic happen.”NOTES: Shepard, who had two catches for 17 yards and a touchdown, picked up a game ball for his blocking. …WR Odell Beckham Jr., who missed Sunday’s game with a quadriceps injury, is feeling better, coach Pat Shurmur said. … TE Rhett Ellison, who sprained an ankle, also is feeling better. S Curtis Riley, who scored on a 9-yard interception return, has a sprained wrist. … The practice squad contract of P Brock Miller was terminated. … The game at Indianapolis on Dec. 23 has been moved from Fox to CBS but remains a 1 p.m. EST start. NEW ORLEANS (AP)Saints coach Sean Payton had a full night and morning to reflect on and review how much of an effect officiating really had on New Orleans’ narrow loss to Atlanta. By Friday afternoon, it sounded like the coach had decided that his initial concerns were warranted, and that it’s a problem the league should address. ”The officiating was extremely poor,” Payton said in a conference call. ”Inconsistent would be a great way to put it. I thought that had a lot to do with the way this game ended.” The way the game ended was costly for the Saints. New Orleans (9-4) missed an opportunity to strengthen its hold on first place in the NFC South, which now has three teams within a game of one another; Carolina (8-4) sits in second place and Atlanta (8-5) in third. The Saints also lost several players to injury during Thursday night’s 20-17 loss, but Payton seemed most concerned by the penalty flags that were thrown against his team – or weren’t thrown against the Falcons. Payton said he ”went through every one of `em – and the ones that weren’t called. Too many inconsistencies.” The Saints were penalized 11 times for 87 yards, and the Falcons gained nine first downs by penalty. Payton would not address all of the calls he disagreed with, but he did single out a roughing-the-passer call on defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins against Matt Ryan. The penalty came at the end of third-down incompletion, keeping alive a drive that ended with Atlanta’s first touchdown. ”I know what that rule’s in place for ,” Payton said, ”but it wasn’t in place for what happened with Sheldon.” The officiating ”has been a problem all year and it’s something that’s going to have to be addressed from a leadership standpoint at the top in our league office. ”It’s frustrating when you have a game, instead of it being decided on the field like it’s supposed to, you have a crew make so many mistakes in one event.” After Matt Bryant’s 52-yard goal gave Atlanta a 20-17 lead with 3:49 left, Drew Brees drove New Orleans into position for a tying field goal or winning touchdown. But linebacker Deion Jones made a leaping interception of a Brees pass in the end zone with 1:25 left. The Saints lost their last chance to get the ball back when an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Payton – who had angrily rushed onto the field to communicate with an official – gave the Falcons a first down that enabled them to run out the clock. Payton said after the game that he was trying to call a timeout when one of the officials ”asked me again.” ”I said, `I’ve already called the timeout,”’ Payton said. ”I probably said it with a little more oomph or vigor than I was supposed to, but I had enough. I’ve got to be smarter than that.” Payton said Friday that he had not heard from the league office about any further sanctions. He said the process of reporting disputed calls to NFL headquarters is ”a waste of energy.” The NFL automatically reviews any penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct toward officials to determine if any further disciplinary action is warranted. Even the Saints’ star on offense could have had a bigger game if not for the officiating, Payton said. Michael Thomas caught 10 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. ”He made some big plays,” Payton said. ”He was held on two or three occasions. We have to get him more touches, but he was impressive.” Meanwhile, the Saints will be monitoring the health of half a dozen players injured during the game: running back Alvin Kamara (concussion), guard Senio Kelemete (concussion), wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. (undisclosed), linebacker A.J. Klein (groin), defensive end Trey Hendrickson (ankle) and safety Kenny Vaccaro (groin). The Saints have extra time heal up before their next game, at home Dec. 17 against the New York Jets. New Orleans hosts Atlanta in a rematch on Dec. 24. —