The sight was a chilling one, because it has become easy to believe that Saquon Barkley is made of equal parts iron, leather and steel. He had been virtually unbreakable across his first 18 games as an NFL player, despite carrying himself fearlessly and almost recklessly through, around and over defenses.

So him hobbling off the field Sunday just didn’t look right. Nor did it look any better when he stood on crutches throughout the second half of the Giants’ 32-31 victory over the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. But it’s something Giants fans are going to have to get used to. It’s a high ankle sprain. It’ll sideline him up to two months.

“We’ll just have to see,” Giants coach Pat Shurmur said. “When you lose a player like Saquon, it hurts in some ways, but it creates opportunities for others.”

It seems a cruel bit of timing for the Giants, Barkley saying goodbye just as Daniel Jones is saying hello. It also isn’t the greatest development for Jones, who was able to carry the load pretty much on his own Sunday, but that’ll be a task that grows harder as more and more of him shows up on film, ready to be devoured by curious defensive coordinators.

And let’s be very honest about something: There ought to be little urgency getting Barkley back, at least at the expense of his being 100%. Let him heal. Let the ankle get strong again. Jones has made the Giants instantly interesting again, and when he does get to team up with Barkley it’s going to be something cool to behold, no doubt.

But it is important to remember: The Giants are still, at best, likely a seven-win team. That isn’t meant to be a buzzkill on the day after Jones took the league by storm, just a reminder that the Giants are still a terribly flawed product. The offensive line, while better, still endangers its quarterback too often. The defense, despite some proud moments on Sunday, is still a sieve until it proves otherwise.

Rushing Barkley back would be foolish, no matter how tempting it’ll be as the ankle heals and he gets closer to full strength. This is all about the wider view, the bigger picture, the longer game. It is easy for fans to get ahead of themselves, because that’s what fans do, it’s what they’re supposed to do, it’s why they care so deeply.

But this is too important for Dave Gettleman. It was actually quite fitting the way Sunday played out for the Giants’ GM. There, for a fleeting few moments, were his crown jewels, side by side. And if Jones is as good as he looked Sunday — and we already know how good Barkley is — then Gettleman will be vindicated for a plan that sent so many into hysterics as it was being applied.

The catch, though, is this:

One of the reasons it felt so risky to make Barkley the first foundational piece — especially in 2018, when the Giants could have had their pick of any QB they wanted after Baker Mayfield — is precisely because of what happened Sunday. It’s not just that running backs get hurt, and when they get hurt, they can be profoundly damaging injuries. It’s how often during the course of a game they’re vulnerable to taking that kind of a hit: 10, 12 times, sometimes more.

Even an elusive magician like Barkley and his 5.2-yards-per-carry career average aren’t immune. It’s why shelf lives for running backs can be so short. It’s why there was such risk attached to the pick.

But, as we saw Sunday, there is also the possibility for immense reward. The Giants have to focus on that. They must maximize that. They need to exhibit extra caution here, extra care, play the longest of long games. It’s a brutal break for right now. But patience isn’t just a virtue in this case. It’s the only option.