If the Giants legacy that Saquon Barkley constructed and then vacated took six years to build, then there would certainly be a bridge — maybe just the offseason, maybe just Week 1, maybe longer — to the new, undefined After Saquon era. Life would move on without the star running back, sure, and while there would certainly be growing pains, the Giants and head coach Brian Daboll would eventually figure out how to replace their most consistent piece on offense and maybe, just maybe, flash some glimpses that everything would work out.

It was fitting, in the most twisted way possible for Giants fans, that two days before their lethargic Week 1 loss to the Vikings, Barkley, making his debut with the Eagles in a standalone Friday game from Brazil, scored three touchdowns and provided a significant chunk of the offense Philadelphia needed to hold off the Packers. That captured the version of Barkley that the Giants saw when they made him the No. 2 overall pick in 2018 and built an offense around.

But then, on Sunday, the Giants provided a glaring reminder of how difficult of a season this might be without their former cornerstone. It was always going to be hard for Giants fans to watch Barkley play for a division rival, and that only became tougher to watch after Friday. If the goal is the playoffs for the Giants, would their offense really cut it even with Barkley? Daniel Jones was out-played by New York castoff Sam Darnold. 

As painful as it may be for Giants fans to face a weekly reminder of what Barkley could be doing for their team instead of for the Eagles, the Giants’ issues stretch much deeper than Barkley, and that became clear from early in Sunday’s 28-6 loss. The Giants finished with 240 yards of total offense. They didn’t collect a touchdown for the second consecutive opener.