By Ryan Dunleavy | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

If "20-carry game" is the password to get into the exclusive club of top NFL rushers like Todd Gurley, James Connor, Kareem Hunt, Ezekiel Elliott and Adrian Peterson, Saquon Barkley cannot enter.

Unlike the top five rushers in the NFL this season, the Giants' Barkley hasn't had a 20-carry game.

It's not unusual for running backs to get fewer than 20 carries in a game during today's pass-happy NFL, but eight straight games without 20? That's odd -- and a waste -- given Barkley's talent and the Giants' investment.

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Barkley isn't part of a timeshare like the Saints' Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram or the Bears' Tarik Cohen and Jordan Howard. He ranks No. 4 among NFL running backs by playing 84.2 percent of his team's offensive snaps.

The idea when the Giants retooled their offensive line in free agency and used the No. 2 draft pick on a running back was to create an offense with balance that could lean toward run-first when needed to preserve 37-year-old quarterback Eli Manning.

"When you can run the ball like we (the Vikings) did this year -- and we developed a core set of runs -- then the play-action (passes) are meaningful," Giants coach Pat Shurmur said at his introductory press conference in January, "and that's how you can drive the ball down the field."

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So, how is that the Giants actually are averaging less rushing yards per game at the midway point of the 2018 season (77.8) than at the midway point of the 2017 season (86.7), when Paul Perkins, Wayne Gallman and Orleans Darwka were the primary ball-carriers?

"We certainly can run the ball a little more," Shurmur said. "I don't think there is anything wrong with that."

Even wide receivers -- who are not getting the ball every time it is handed off to Barkley -- see a need for more dedication to the run game.

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"In this game, if you can't run the ball, you are not going to win too many games," veteran wideout Russell Shepard said. "I don't care if it is a pass-happy league or not.

"You have certain games you can get away with it, but for the most part week-in and week-out, if you can run the football it limits the other things that can go on, like turnovers. It's a safe play. You can beat up on teams mentally and physically. It's one of the best ways to win football games in this league."

Barkley only has had 15 carries twice in his first eight career games and has not reached that number since Week 3. At Penn State, Barkley had 14 career games of 20 carries or more during his three seasons.

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"I think we're working toward that goal," offensive coordinator Mike Shula said. "One of the things we've talked about is he's very explosive, as we've seen. We've just got to continue to give him opportunities.

"Part of that is if you get a negative play, it kind of takes you out of rhythm, takes you out of maybe a potential one or two carries. We want to be balanced, we want to utilize him the best we can, get him as many touches and we think he's going to be a big asset for us in that regard as we move forward."

Further down the line, No. 2 running back Wayne Gallman has almost disappeared, with one or zero carries in five of the eight games. But it is Barkley who is supposed to revive the NFL's No. 31 rushing attack.

"I think he's got to touch the ball," Shurmur told Giants.com. "You can move the ball by throwing it, so I certainly would like to see him touch the ball more, and I think if he has more runs and more carries, that'll point to winning football."

Why are Barkley's carries limited? Here are his game-by-game numbers and the reasons why:

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NJ Advance Media

Saquon Barkley's carries per game

vs. Jaguars: 18

vs. Cowboys: 11

vs. Texans: 17

vs. Saints: 10



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vs. Panthers: 15

vs. Eagles: 13

vs. Falcons: 14

vs. Redskins: 13

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Giants' pass dropbacks per game (including sacks)

vs. Jaguars: 40 (2 sacks)

vs. Cowboys: 50 (6 sacks)

vs. Texans: 33 (4 sacks)

vs. Saints: 44 (3 sacks)

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vs. Panthers: 37 (1 sack)

vs. Eagles: 37 (4 sacks)

vs. Falcons: 42 (4 sacks)

vs. Redskins: 54 (7 sacks)

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Barkley's receptions

Shurmur counts a short pass as similar to a run, and Barkley is on pace to shatter records for catches with 58 at the midway point of his rookie season.

Barkley already surpassed the Giants' previous 50-year-old record for most receptions by a rookie running back of 37 by Bobby Duhon in 1968. He also could jump over Reggie Bush's NFL record for most catches by a rookie running back (88), Matt Forte's NFL record for most catches by a running back (102 ), Anquan Boldin's NFL record for most catches by an NFL rookie (101) and Odell Beckham's record for most catches by a Giants rookie (91).

An argument could be made Barkley offers to much of a security blanket for Manning, who isn't throwing deep enough. The majority of Barkley's catches are check down passes where he was a second or third option, not designed routes.

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Offensive line isn't opening holes

Barkley was No. 27 in the NFL with 2.45 yards per contact entering Week 8, according to ESPN. In that game against the Redskins, he picked up 23 yards before contact on 13 carries.

The Giants' original offensive line was built to be better at run blocking than pass blocking, but it didn't work out that way. Patrick Omameh and Ereck Flowers struggled in both aspects and were benched and released.

Jamon Brown is expected to be the 10th offensive lineman to play and the ninth to start tonight. If so, he will be the third different player to line up at right guard, joining three at right tackle and three at center.

The Giants have the No. 21 run blocking grade in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

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The scoreboard

Logic dictates teams who are trailing are more likely to pass because it is a faster way to catch-up. Teams protecting leads run the ball more to protect leads and chew up clock.

Well, here is a jarring stat: The Giants are spending an average of 41 minutes, 50 seconds per game playing from behind, according to FootballOutsiders.com. Not only is that worst in the NFL, it is more than four minutes worse than the next team (Bills).

The Giants are averaging just 9 minutes, 6 seconds per game playing with the lead. In five of eight games, they never held the lead.

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Not using fullback

Barkley's record-setting career at Penn State came almost exclusively out of one-back sets, but he spent time watching film of Adrian Peterson's career to study running behind a fullback.

It was mostly time wasted.

The Giants cut Shane Smith after he missed a couple pass blocks in Week 2 and replaced him with Eli Penny. But Shurmur, who used Vikings fullback C.J. Ham on more than 200 snaps as offensive play-caller last season, has used Penny on only 22 snaps in six games.

Considering the offensive line's struggles, adding a lead blocker to find the holes for Barkley might be a smart post-bye-week tweak.

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Behind the sticks

Because the Giants have allowed 31 sacks, they often find themselves in second-and-long and third-and-long situations. Those are not run-friendly downs.

The Giants are averaging 4.78 yards per play on first down, which ranks No. 28 in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.

Barkley also contributes to this down-and-distance problem, because he has a propensity to look for the big run rather fall forward for a 3- or 4-yard gain. His cuts and vision have led to some home runs, but also to too many no gains.

"As a running back, you hold responsibility for that," Barkley said. "You want to be definitely up there in the league and in the ranks, and that's something we can improve on as a team. That's something that we're going to have to challenge ourselves to do in the second half of the season."

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