TUCSON, Ariz. -- There was a two-play stretch last Sunday against the Miami Dolphins that New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley would rather forget, and seems to sum up the frustrating season for the fourth-year running back.

It was early in the second quarter of the 20-9 road loss when Barkley dropped a perfectly designed pass just as his points-deprived team was on the verge of the red zone. It likely would have been a big play. Then it was a rush to the right side where he sort of stumbled for no gain on the very next play.

Just like that, the drive stalled and the Giants settled for another field goal, their specialty these days.

These were prime opportunities for Barkley to make a difference. Instead, he finished with a pedestrian 74 total yards despite 17 touches (11 rushes, six receptions). Barkley also dropped a pair of passes and on three or four occasions was stumbling around the field.

This wasn't the Saquon Barkley everybody saw dominate during his rookie season in 2018 when he had 2,028 yards from scrimmage and scored 15 TDs. This was a player searching to get it back following a string of injuries that have left him looking like a shell of his former self.

Barkley, who admitted recently the left ankle injury he suffered in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys could "nag" him the rest of the season, is aware many think he's not the player he used to be.

"That's their opinion," he said curtly after the loss to Miami.

What gives him confidence he still is a dominant player?

"Because I know who I am," he said.

The public self-confidence is familiar -- he said something similar after the New York's win against the Eagles, when he totaled 53 yards on 17 touches. Maybe it will help him get back to being the player he wants to be.

If it's going to happen this year, it almost has to be on Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox) when the Giants (4-8) travel to face the Los Angeles Chargers (7-5), who have the NFL's 31st-ranked run defense. Even with Barkley's balky ankle, which has been heavily taped of late and landed him on this week's injury report as a limited participant in practices.

All we can go by right now is what he has put on the field, and that has been numbers similar to his backup, Devontae Booker. Their statistics are comparable. In fact, they favor Booker.

It puts Barkley in the category of quality No. 2 running back.

But this is what injuries -- the high ankle sprain on his right leg in 2019, the torn right ACL last season and the ankle injury this season -- can do.

Barkley is supposed to be the Giants' best playmaker, a difference-maker. He was the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2018, a generational player who was "touched by the hand of God" according to general manager Dave Gettleman.

On Sunday, all it took was a few plays against the Dolphins to see Barkley just isn't right. There were the drops, the stumbles, him jumping out of bounds to avoid contact near the first-down marker early in the game and an awkward jumping pirouette in the middle of the field. It makes you wonder whether he is thinking about the injuries or trying not to get injured again. Either way, it's problematic for a running back who has talked throughout his career about sometimes needing to get the "dirty yards" rather than trying to always break the big play.

It could also be that Barkley is still trying to get his feet back under him following the latest injury. He's talked in recent weeks about there being a slight disconnect between his feet, brain and eyes as he attempts to round back into form.

"It sucks. I can tell you right now, it sucks," Barkley said. "It feels weird, it's frustrating. But you know, that comes with some of the unfortunate things that happened to me the last two years. ... It's part of the journey, it's part of the story. As I continue to work through it and continue to get better, when I'm back and I'm doing the things that I know I can do, continue to have a long, healthy, successful career, I'm going to look back on these ... frustrating times and know that these are the moments that helped mold me to become the player that I am and the player that I am going to continue to be."

The Giants still plan to feature Barkley. He played 75% of the offensive snaps against the Dolphins and had nine targets. New playcaller Freddie Kitchens was scheming passes in his direction, including on the costly second-quarter drop when they had him isolated on the perimeter.

The organization is fully committed, with Barkley's fifth-year option next season already guaranteed.

"I'm not going to question this guy's toughness or competitiveness. I'm going to put that out there right now," coach Joe Judge said. "He's going to be on the field for us. He's got to be an impact player for us. We're going to keep finding ways to get him the ball -- handoffs, tosses, screens, passes, whatever it takes.

"He's a tough dude, he's a competitive dude, he's a leader on this team. A great guy for our organization. I love having him out here, so, no, I'm not going to question this guy's toughness at all."

His production? That is a different story.