By Ryan Dunleavy | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

He was playing VISA's Financial Football against Giants teammate Eli Manning, but Saquon Barkley was talking trash, feverishly signaling for timeouts to extend the game and trying just about every trick he could think of to avoid losing.

In the end, the team of high schoolers "coached" by Manning edged the team of high schoolers "coached" by Barkley, but the fun atmosphere Tuesday at MetLife Stadium was further proof of the rookie running back's intolerance for losing.

And Barkley's rookie season has been marked by two things so far: His own highlight-reel worthy play and the team's 1-5 start, which prompted home boos at several points during last week's loss to the Eagles.

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Barkley only experienced five losses in his sophomore and junior years combined at Penn State before early entry into the 2018 NFL Draft, where he was the No. 2 overall pick.

Barkley is No. 2 in the NFL with 811 yards from scrimmage and No. 6 with 438 rushing yards. He has scored six of the Giants' 14 total touchdowns.

So it was no surprise when Barkley called three straight plays for a running back wearing No. 26 to start Financial Football, which looked like any popular NFL video game but with one unusual hook: After calling a pass or run play, the team had to answer a question about budgeting, saving, identity theft, credit, debt or banking. A correct answer led to a positive play while an incorrect answer led to a negative play.

After the game was over -- Manning's team called more passes and won 7-6 by virtue of getting their PAT question correct -- Barkley sat down with NJ Advance Media to discuss the Giants and the video game. Here is what he said:

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

NJAM: Are you enjoying your individual rookie success? Or does the team's record make that impossible?

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SB: "It's not really (about) enjoying it. I would be perfectly fine if I was at the bottom of every running back category and we were 6-0. At the end of the day, I just want to win. I just want to help the team win. I'm a huge competitor. It sucks to be 1-5 right now. It's not acceptable by any means, especially with the standard that we hold in the Giants organization. We just have to learn from it and continue to work, continue to trust it, continue to believe in each other. It's still a long season. I know it sounds cliche, but you never know what could happen. One or two games could spark a streak. We have to believe in that."

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NJ Advance Media

WATCH: Saquon Barkley challenges high schooler to passing contest: Loser does push-ups

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

NJAM: Odell Beckham talked recently about how it is difficult to accept that losing in the NFL is different than college, where one loss ruins a season at a school like LSU (for him) or Penn State (for you). How are you handling the unfamiliar losing?

(Here is the aforementioned Beckham quote: "Where I came from, I remember losing the one game to Florida or losing the one game to Alabama, like it is the end of our season. It is everything. It is about being undefeated. The NFL is different. There is seeding, there is stuff in college where it is more important, but the mentality was to never lose. The mentality was that losing that one game, it is over with. There was importance, an urge to win each and every Saturday in college. That is the mentality he has, he came from a place where I think they had only lost (11) total games. But the mentality is to win, plain and simple.)

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SB: "I've accepted that the NFL is a little different than college. I'm not used to losing. It's new to me, kind of. The way you learn from it is by keeping the good and losing the bad. Go back and watch film. Learn what you could have done better, what the team could have done better, what you can do to help your team do better, and build on it. The best way to succeed is by failing. You can't be scared to fail. Right now, we are losing and we are having a lot of failure in the beginning of the year. I do believe it will help us in the future."

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

NJAM: With the start you are off to -- second player in NFL history with 100 yards from scrimmage in the first six games of your career and a performance for the record books against the Eagles -- do you feel like you have cemented yourself as one of the best running backs in the NFL? The best?

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SB: "I think there are a lot of great running backs in the league. I have to give a lot of respect to (Todd) Gurleys and Ezekiel Elliotts and Melvin Gordons of the world. I'm still young. I know how I personally feel. I know how my teammates feel. At the end of the day, that's the only people I have to prove it to."

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Which Giants won't (and will) be part of the solution in 2019?

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media f

NJAM: As well as you are playing, both Giants coach Pat Shurmur and co-owner John Mara were asked this week if, in hindsight, they regret not picking a quarterback with the No. 2 pick in the draft. Does it concern you that you can't quiet that narrative?

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"That's something that is going to go on throughout the rest of my career now no matter what. No matter how much success I have or if I do bad. People have their opinions. To each his own. At the end of the day, people that believe the Giants should have drafted a quarterback over me, I'm not trying to prove anything to them. I'm trying to prove to Coach Shurmur, to my teammates, to the Giants organization that they made the right pick, that they got a guy who is going to come in and work every single day, who is going lead and compete, who is passionate about the game. Those are four things about myself that even coming into the draft process I said whoever drafts me is going to get. I'm going to make sure they get no matter what."

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

NJAM: You are one of four 2018 draft picks playing significant snaps for the Giants. How has one of the rookies fans have not seen, quarterback Kyle Lauletta, impressed you behind the scenes?

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SB: "Lauletta is an awesome guy. I've got a great friendship with him. He throws a great ball. He is going to be a heck of a player one day. He is a hard worker, too. Whenever he gets his chance to play, he will put in the time and effort and he will be ready. That could be in a year or you never know. He understands that. He has the right approach."

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A possible in-house fix for Giants offensive line?

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

NJAM: You grew up in the Northeast. Has playing in the New York market been what you expected?

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SB: "It's been everything I thought it would be. Giants fans are very passionate. They are great fans. Playing in MetLife (Stadium) is amazing. I remember watching the Super Bowl (XLII) when Eli threw that pass and David Tyree caught that ball. Even the other Super Bowl he won when he made that pass on the sideline to (Mario) Manningham. I'm literally sitting here like, 'Wow. I'm here. I'm living the dream. I'm playing in the NFL.' I would be doing an injustice not to come to work every day with a smile on my face and have fun with the game."

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

NJAM: You have talked pretty extensively about being smart with your finances, buying your parents a home and following the Marshawn Lynch plan of living off money made through endorsements and saving the money from your contracts for your family. What did you think of Financial Football?

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SB: "It was fun. To be honest, I was glad I had my team because there were some questions that I didn't know myself. Those guys were very smart and did a great job of interacting and having fun. It's pretty dope to have a game like that to learn from and give you a headstart. I wish that was something I took advantage of when I was their age."

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Could Raiders' Derek Carr be QB who replaces Eli Manning with Giants?

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Ryan Dunleavy | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

NJAM: You started a "D-Fence" chant with your team and made one of the kids on your team get on a stage for a touchdown dance. I understand Eli had first pick and choose the Giants, but why the Bills for you? Also, no coincidence your team started run-heavy and Eli's was pass-heavy?

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SB: "It shows you our mindsets (laughs). The way we picked (teams), Eli gave me some good advice. He told me to pick a team that we don't play often in the AFC. The Bills was the team that came to mind. Somehow, it worked out for me (with a No. 26). It was a lot of fun."

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Financial Football is a game changer. @Visa makes it easy to learn to pick the right financial play. Had a great time with all the kids today! Play now at https://t.co/JkWmsrC8KT #ad #VisaAmbassador pic.twitter.com/VAnxFzN1qz — Saquon Barkley (@saquon) October 17, 2018

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About "Financial Football"

(Press release)

The free video game lets fans ages 11 and older suit up as a player from their favorite NFL team and play a virtual game of football designed to help students learn to make smart money-management decisions.

Research shows 1-in-5 teenage students in the United States lacks basic financial skills. Forty percent of adults said that if faced with a $400 unexpected expense, they would either not be able to pay it or would do so by selling something or borrowing money. As new payment methods such as mobile payments, contactless cards and wearables become more prevalent, it underscores the need for financial literacy starting at an early age and continuing into adulthood.

Financial Football features improved 3D graphics and enhanced game play. It challenges players to answer multiple-choice and true or false questions to advance down the field in order to score a touchdown. New features include:

Single player and head-to-head games

Three different levels of difficulty: Rookie (ages 11-14), Pro (ages 14-18) and Hall of Fame (ages 18+)

Expanded categories include: Budgeting, Saving, Financial Institutions, Credit, Debt, Identity Theft, Life Events

The ability to play both offense and defense. Players can select from over 40 offensive plays, as well as the ability to stop their opponents from advancing by answering a defensive question correctly.

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Giants owner John Mara comes down hard on Odell Beckham, soft on Eli Manning

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NJ Advance Media

WATCH: Eli Manning warms up with Giants quarterbacks

Ryan Dunleavy can be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy.