Devin Singletary is doing his part for the Giants following the departure of Saquon Barkley

There is an attendance schedule for fans, but it often does not coincide with the players’ attendance schedule in a season.

Fans often stay up too late to watch the end of an exciting game.

Player?

They may try to stay awake, but often find themselves nodding off because they are so tired from the game or training session they have been through, knowing that they will have to get up early the next morning to get to the team facility and it to try again.

Devin Singletary and the Giants played a Sunday afternoon game in Landover, Maryland in Week 2, losing to the Commanders 21-18.

The quick return trip – no flight necessary – meant the players could be home and get a good night’s sleep in their own beds.

The next night, Singletary planned to stay up and watch the Monday Night Football game between the Eagles and Falcons.

His intentions didn’t quite work out as he planned.

“I saw most of it but then fell asleep,” Singletary told the Post. “I think I fell asleep like in the third quarter. I was angry that I fell asleep. I woke up at about 1am and asked myself, “What happened?” “So I went and saw what happened.”

What happened and what Singletary missed watching live was an Eagles collapse that was quelled by Saquon Barkley, who deflected an easy third-down swing pass from Jalen Hurts that bounced off his hands with 1:46 left and the clock stopped.

If Barkley makes the routine grab, the Eagles win.

Instead, they settled for a field goal and took the lead 21-15.

The Falcons, who had no timeouts, then went 70 yards in just six plays before Kirk Cousins ​​hit Drake London with a touchdown pass with 34 seconds left, defeating the Eagles 22-21 and stunning the Philadelphia crowd.

Singletary, who was signed by the Giants immediately after Barkley officially agreed to terms with the Eagles, was particularly interested in the game that opened the door for the Falcons.

In his short time with the Giants, Singletary has repeatedly praised Barkley’s talents and avoided any direct comparisons as far as what he can bring to the Giants’ offense.

“It’s tough,” Singletary said of Barkley’s costly drop pass. “It’s football, it happens. He is a great player. In everyday life, this is a routine game that he plays. He just dropped the ball, but he usually makes that play.

“It was just in that moment, so it’s magnified. In that situation, everything goes for him when you’re running 200 (yards), you don’t want to get too high and he drops the ball, that’s a real low point. You don’t want to be too low. “You want to stay in the middle.”

Of course, Barkley was criticized for the decline. He was tough on himself and others outside were tough on him too.

“It goes hand in hand,” Singletary said. “I have a feeling that’s what’s going to happen. If something doesn’t work, it will always be this, that, or the third. “If it worked, it’s not even talked about.”

Through three games, Singletary has given the Giants what they expected from him — aside from two lost fumbles, an area he needs to clean up.

He led the team with 42 rushing attempts and 197 yards, and if he can maintain his 4.7-yard average, the Giants will be thrilled.

General manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll worked with Singletary with the Bills, and they expected to be able to count on the diminutive running back everyone calls “Engine.”

Schoen and Daboll also knew that there would be frequent comparisons between Singletary and Barkley and that Barkley would likely thrive running behind the Eagles’ formidable offensive line, as Hurts’ run-pass option opened up the possibility of creating lanes for Barkley open.

Three games into the season, the 27-year-old Barkley led the NFL in rushing with 351 yards, an average of 5.6 yards per attempt.

He has four rushing touchdowns.

Stream the game live on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday night

At that rate, Barkley would rush for 1,989 yards and 23 touchdowns, shattering the career highs he set with the Giants — 1,312 yards in 2022 and 11 rushing touchdowns as a rookie in 2018.

The 27-year-old Singletary hasn’t reached 1,000 yards in any of his six NFL seasons, and he’s not in the conversation when it comes to having his name mentioned in discussions about the “best backs in the NFL.”

In the locker room he is a pleasant person who doesn’t seek attention but is willing to chat if spoken to.

He didn’t shy away from keeping the number 26 jersey he had worn throughout his career, knowing that was Barkley’s number with the Giants and now with the Eagles.

On the play following his dropped pass, Barkley saved the day for the Eagles by scoring touchdowns of 65 and 4 yards in the fourth quarter to pave the way for a 15-12 victory over the Saints.

It was a resounding comeback after letting his team down the previous week.

“When something like this happens, everyone thinks the world is ending, but it doesn’t matter what the outside world thinks,” Barkley said.

Sounds like advice Singletary would have given.