EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. _ Like all his Giants teammates, Saquon Barkley is not about to compare the skills of Daniel Jones vs. Eli Manning.
There would be no winner.
Yet when he looks back at the two good games he had against the Philadelphia Eagles in his rookie season, he might surmise that the one constant in both games was that Manning was his quarterback.
In those games, the then-rookie running back ran for 231 yards and added 140 yards receiving. He scored three touchdowns, matching this season's total.
"I was in a groove in the first game," Barkley said Thursday, as the Giants continued preparations for Monday night's game in Philadelphia against the Eagles.
He politely referred to a change in play calling in the second game, which the Eagles won, 25-22, on Jake Elliott's 43-yard field goal with 22 seconds remaining and prompted a postgame debate on why head coach Pat Shurmur's play calling went away from Barkley in the second half.
Fast forward to Monday night, when Manning likely will start for the first time since Week 2 because Jones has his right foot in a boot after he suffered a high ankle sprain in Sunday's loss to the Packers, the eighth defeat in a row for the 2-10 Giants.
The players were as shocked as everybody else when it was revealed Jones was hurt, and Manning, the 16-year veteran and two-time Super Bowl MVP, would come off the bench to replace him.
Asked if he ever expected to catch another pass from Manning, wide receiver Sterling Shepard answered: "To be honest, I didn't."
Barkley is the Giant who might benefit the most from the switch. While Jones tends to look downfield when he's pressured, Manning usually bails out sooner and dumps off to running backs, more time than not it's Barkley.
"He sees the field so well," said Barkley.
"One of Eli's strengths is how he distributes the ball to so many people," Eagles coach Doug Pederson, a backup quarterback in his playing days, said in a conference call. "He understands the game and where everybody is at. It's a ball-control style."
It's also an offense that could benefit from the return of several receivers who've returned to practice in some form. Although he's still in concussion protocol, wide receiver Golden Tate practiced Thursday, while tight end Evan Engram (foot) was limited. Both could play Monday night. Among non-receivers, left tackle Nate Solder (ankle) and cornerback Corey Ballentine (concussion) were limited.
In the minds of several of Manning's peers, there's no limit to what Manning might bring in his return to the field.
Even Shurmur, who directed the switch from Manning to Jones after two losses to start the season, realizes the high esteem in which Manning is held by teammates and fans.
"Eli has played a lot of years on a high level," said the Giants' coach.
Asked what effect Manning can have on the Giants, Barkley answered: "It helps the team, it helps the offense, it helps me."
Let's see how much he can help. Manning has a 10-20 record against Philly, and the Eagles have won nine of the last 10 against the Giants.
"Nine out of 10? I haven't heard that," said Barkley. "When you put it that way, it obviously would be good to get a win. We work our butts off every week. It would mean a lot to get a win."
