Saquon Barkley shrugged off the jeers to deliver a dominant victory for the Philadelphia Eagles on his return to the New York Giants .
On his return to East Rutherford, Barkley - heavily booed by furious Giants fans - excelled out of the Eagles backfield to lead Philadelphia to a crucial 28-3 win in an NFC East showdown. Barkley showed his prowess on the ground and through the air, finishing with 188 total yards - more than the Giants offense - and a touchdown.
In the Week 6 win over the Cleveland Browns , Barkley was held to a season-low of 47 rushing yards and just 2.6 yards per carry. Buoyed by the boos and burning jerseys, he rediscovered his frightening best at his old stomping ground.
Amid a poor offensive start to the game with both teams trading punts, Barkley broke through, escaping down the left sideline on a 55-yard burst. He was pushed out of bounds and simply stared down the fans in the stands.
It was clear Barkley meant business, and he appropriately put the first points on the board by plunging through the plane for a three-yard touchdown. He squared up to Dexter Lawrence after scoring , days after the Giants defensive lineman insisted the clash with the Eagles would be a “war.”
If Week 7’s game was a war, the Giants did not win. Midway through the second quarter, Jalen Hurts - who finished with 114 yards, a passing touchdown and two rushing scores - faced a fourth-down-and-three but instead threw a perfect dime over the right shoulder of AJ Brown for a 41-yard touchdown.
The Giants tried to narrow the deficit, but a touchdown pass from Daniel Jones to rookie tight end Theo Johnson was chalked for offensive pass interference. The home side then decided to kick the points, ensuring the halftime score was 14-3 in favor of Philadelphia.
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The Eagles - and Barkley - simply picked up from where they left off in the second half. The running back broke away for a 38-yard run in which he juked out and shook off a number of trailing Giants defenders to take the Eagles from midfield deep into New York territory.
On the one-yard line, Hurts dove over the goalline to score. It was one of two 'Brotherly Shoves' that got the quarterback into the end zone, as he added a second rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Barkley was once touted by Giants owner John Mara as the franchise’s most popular player. However, the organization opted to roll with Jones rather than try and retain the running back; the quarterback struggled against Philadelphia, completing 14 of 21 passes for 99 yards while taking seven sacks.
It was a dismal day for the Giants , who slipped to 2-5 and are cut adrift in the NFC East. The franchise sits bottom of the division, behind the 3-3 Dallas Cowboys as well as both the 4-2 Washington Commanders and Eagles.
The Giants are next in action on the road versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football in Week 8, while the Eagles travel to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct. 27.
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