With a 28-3 win over the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon, the Philadelphia Eagles notched their first double-digit victory since Week 6 of last season, when they defeated the Miami Dolphins by the final score of 31-17. At that time, running back Saquon Barkley was toiling away in New York on the final year of his contract. Little did any of us know, almost one year later to the day, Barkley would be in an Eagles uniform playing his first game back at MetLife Stadium as a visitor.
On the afternoon, Saquon Barkley rushed for 176 yards against his former team. That mark was just 13 yards shy of a personal best that Barkley set against Washington five years ago. With nearly all of the 4th quarter remaining, it looked like Barkley, who rushed for over 10 yards per carry against the Giants, would clear that mark easily. But instead, the 27-year-old running back stepped aside to let his Eagles teammates get some shine.
Per Eagles reporter Eliot Shorr-Parks:
“Nick Sirianni says he asked Saquon Barkley if he wanted to go back in to set his record for yards in a game. Barkley said let the other players get touches. Sirianni says it shows Barkley is a ‘special teammate.'”
Special teammate for sure, but as he proved on Sunday afternoon, Saquon Barkley is a damn special running back as well.
Eagles’ Saquon Barkley gets last laugh in return to New York
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) carries the ball against the New York Giants during the first half at MetLife Stadium. © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Saquon Barkley’s exit from New York was controversial, mostly because as any NFL fan knows, the rivalry between the Giants and Eagles is as nasty and contentious as any around the league. It didn’t help matters that former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber added fuel to the flames after Barkley’s departure, saying that the Penn State product “was dead to us.”
With that said, it would’ve been very easy for Saquon Barkley to make this game all about him, and how fitting would it have been if he could’ve topped the 200 yard mark for the first time against the team that was perfectly fine with letting him walk. But even though Saquon was clearly running with a little extra motivation on Sunday, he turned down the opportunity to make it about him. In his absence, both Kenneth Gainwell and Will Shipley were able to reach season highs in careers.
For as bad as the vibes have been in Philadelphia for nearly a calendar year now, maybe this is the game that will get this team back on track. Next week will serve as a good enough test… for the second straight week, the Eagles will be on the road, and they’ll be facing a Cincinnati Bengals team that after an 0-3 start has since won three of their last four games.
