Giants RB Saquon Barkley Says Playing This Week Will Be A Struggle After Damar Hamlin's Cardiac Arrest

There's a looming uncertainty to Week 18 in the NFL after Monday night's incident involving Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.

The scene left players in a difficult spot as they're now looking to hit the field in less than a week's time, hoping that no such incident could occur again.

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley shared his perspective on looking ahead to Week 18's game. The 2022 Pro Bowler admitted that thinking about the upcoming game against the Philadelphia Eagles and preparing to hit the field has been a mental challenge since Hamlin went down.

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Barkley spoke with reporters Wednesday, sharing his insight on managing the locker room after Hamlin's cardiac arrest, which has kept the second-year safety in the ICU since.

"It’s going to be tough, yeah, I would say it’ll be tough," Barkley told the media. "That’s a true conversation that really needs to be had. I’ve never — I know where I’m at mentally, but I think that would probably be a really good thing as a captain and a leader of the team to bring the team together and ask that question. That didn’t even cross my mind."

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While some players are likely to side with playing through the difficult week with a slew of postseason outcomes on the line, word has already buzzed around the League on whether games could be pushed back a week.

"You think about it. You talk about it. But when you actually see something like that, it leaves you speechless," Barkley noted.

"It definitely does put it into perspective. Me having kids and seeing that it’s a physical sport, it’s the game I love to play. But, at any given moment, you make sure you just appreciate all the little things. Going out to practice, spending time with your family, spending time with your teammates, even stuff like this, at any moment, anything can happen."

In Barkley's case, he may not see the field regardless as the 9-6-1 Giants have already solidified their trip to the postseason, with no sway in the NFC Wild Card race left.

In 16 games this season, Barkley has rushed for a career-high 1,312 yards, adding 10 touchdowns on the ground.

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