One day after it was reported Saquon Barkley would miss the next three weeks due to a sprained right ankle, New York Giants coach Brian Daboll said he's not ruling the star running back out for Thursday's game against the San Francisco 49ers.

"I'm not saying that he's out yet," Daboll said Tuesday on a video posted to the Giants' official website. "He's a quick healer. I'm not saying he's in, he's out. We're gonna take it all the way up with him to Thursday. He feels a lot better today. I just talked to him, so we'll see where we're at."

Daboll said Barkley has made "considerable progress" and expects him to be a game-time decision against the 49ers.

Quite the turnaround from Monday when ESPN had reported the 26-year-old would be sidelined for the Giants' next three games.

 

Brian Daboll says that he's not ready to rule out Saquon Barkley for Thursday and that Saquon feels a lot better today: pic.twitter.com/ywRJMr7TVX

— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) September 19, 2023

Barkley was injured with under two minutes left in Sunday's 31-28 win, in which New York rallied from a 21-point third-quarter deficit. The six-year veteran got his right ankle caught in a pile on his final rushing attempt and needed to be helped off the field with the assistance of trainers.

The 2018 No. 2 overall pick played a big role in Sunday's comeback with both a rushing and receiving touchdown in the second half. The two-time Pro Bowler finished the game with 63 rushing yards on 17 carries and added six receptions totalling 29 yards.

If he can't play, Matt Breida is next man up at running back on the Giants' depth chart.

The veteran backup has just three rushing attempts this season, but did rush for 814 yards in 14 games with the 49ers in 2018. 

If the Giants decide Barkley isn't ready to face the 49ers, the team's next game is 11 days later with its Week 4 contest on Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks on October 2.