The worst fears were not realized. There is no fracture to the right ankle of Saquon Barkley. But there is the ligament damage associated with a high ankle sprain, an MRI exam confirmed Monday, and that will keep the star Giants running back off the field for the remainder of September and, most likely, the entire month of October.

These injuries are painful and take a great deal of time to heal. Figure at least six to eight weeks without Barkley for rookie quarterback Daniel Jones and the Giants.

Looking ahead, the Giants will be fortunate if Barkley can return before their bye in Week 11. The Week 9 game against the Cowboys (Nov. 4) is probably too soon and the Week 10 game with the Jets (Nov. 10) is more realistic, but certainly not a given. The Giants play the Bears Nov. 24 in Chicago in their first game after the bye.

Life without Barkley is going to be a rude awakening. The only running back currently on the roster is Wayne Gallman, so there will have to be an addition this week.

“It’s like any injury — it’s very unfortunate to have Saquon out of the lineup. We all know what he brings to the team,” coach Pat Shurmur said Monday.

“We certainly believe in Wayne Gallman and certainly believe he’ll be able to step in and do his very best, and we’ll just have to see. At some point we may have to add a running back behind him as we go forward here.”

No one can replace Barkley.

In the second quarter of the Giants’ 32-31 victory over the Buccaneers, Barkley got his right foot caught under safety Mike Edwards after a gain of six yards on a reception and Barkley’s ankle bent at an awkward angle.

“It’s tough,” tight end Evan Engram said. “Saquon is obviously a special talent, brings a lot to our team and our offense. It’s unfortunate.”

The Buccaneers completely sold out on defense to stop Barkley in the first half and limited him to a career-low 10 yards on eight rushing attempts. Gallman had just 13 yards on five carries. The Giants’ leading rusher was Jones with four rushes for 28 yards and two touchdowns.

Gallman, in his third season out of Clemson, was a 2017 fourth-round draft pick and fills a role as a backup. He ran the ball 111 times for 476 yards as a rookie, but his workload decreased after Barkley arrived. Last season, Gallman had 176 yards on 51 rushing attempts.

“We’re definitely rallying behind Wayne, and we’re gonna push him and make sure he gets prepared this week, which we all know he will,” Engram said. “And we’re all gonna come in on Sunday [against the Redskins] with that same mentality we had going into the second half after losing Saquon.”

What the Giants have in stock is not nearly enough. Eli Penny is a fullback and not a ball-carrier. There are two running backs – Jon Hilliman and Austin Walter – on the practice squad.

There are running backs on the open market with NFL experience: C.J. Anderson, Jay Ajayi, LeGarrette Blount, Spencer Ware and Andre Ellington. There is also a player available with Giants ties: Orleans Darkwa, who led the team in rushing in 2017 with 751 yards.

“It’s very important they’re able to run with the football and gain yardage,” said Shurmur, listing the skills necessary for a running back the Giants might add. “I think it’s also super important they’re able to understand pass protection, who to block. And I think one of the things that’s super important is their ability to catch the ball. A lot of times the running back is the outlet and that’s the best choice. Have to be able to do all three things.”