Then he saw the cutback lane.
And he was gone.
The rookie has hurdled men standing almost straight up this season. He has broken ankles with his cuts. He has stiff-armed defenders into submission.
And Sunday, he displayed his pure speed.
He cut left near the line of scrimmage and sprinted untouched for 78 yards to score his franchise rookie record 13th touchdown. It set the tone in a 40-16 demolition of Washington at FedEx Field.
Barkley rushed for 170 yards on just 14 carries — he didn’t play in the fourth quarter — in leading the Giants (5-8) to their best performance of the season and their fourth win in five games.