Barkley seals win for resurgent New York Giants over Green Bay

Whisper it, but maybe the New York Giants are finally good again. This shock 27-22 victory against the Green Bay Packers was impressive enough. Doing it despite going behind 14 points early, and a team riddled with injuries, hinted at something even more substantial. Their reward is their best start to an NFL season in 13 years.

The Giants are not the most talented team in the NFL. But they are certainly among its most pesky and resilient. That toughness embodied by their star running back, Saquon Barkley, who returned after a shoulder injury to score the winning touchdown.

“It’s a great start,” Barkley said afterwards. “But we can’t get too caught up in it. There’s a reason we are 4-1. Because the guys and the coaches are setting a standard. And we are finding a way to win games.”

However the Packers head coach, Matt LaFleur, was brutal in his assessment. “Obviously this is as disappointing as it gets for us,” he said. “Give New York all the credit. They outcoached us, they outplayed us. They definitely wanted it more. It was the tale of two halves. They kicked our butt in the second half.”

This was the 31st regular‑season game to be played in London, dating back to 2007 – and, remarkably, the first between two teams with winning records. But while the Packers and Giants came in at 3-1, the betting line told a different story about their respective strengths – with the Packers heavy favourites.

Early on it went to script. Halfway through the first quarter the Packers were 10-0 up, through a 46-yard Mason Crosby field goal and then through their quarterback Aaron Rodgers’s first touchdown with a four-yard pass to Allen Lazard.

While the Giants got themselves on the scoreboard with a 48-yard field goal, the Packers went