Eagles’ Barkley: ‘To be honest, I’m so happy this game is over’

Saquon Barkley made his much-anticipated return to MetLife Stadium, and he did not disappoint. The former Giant, who spent the first six seasons of his career with New York before signing with the Eagles in the offseason, rushed for 176 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries as the Eagles routed the Giants 28-3 on Sunday.

The 176 yards were the second-most rushing yards for Barkley in a game since 2019 and the second-most by a player against their former team all-time.

After the win, Barkley says he was happy that this game was over.

To be honest, I’m so happy this game is over,” he said. “I don’t think I should get, besides today, any more questions about the Giants, but like I’ve always said, I’m thankful for the organization. They’re the team that drafted me. I’ve still got nothing but love and respect for the guys over there. I’m happy to be an Eagle, and most importantly, we got a win today in the division. It’s a division rival, and now it’s onto the next one.”

Barkley averaged over 10 yards per carry on Sunday and had runs of 55, 38, and 41 yards; with the game out of reach, he easily could have recorded his career-high in rushing yards(189) against his former team, but he decided it wasn’t necessary.

“It’s all good,” Barkley said. “I’m not really, I know you guys don’t know me enough yet, but numbers don’t do it for me. Of course, I want to be great and I’m all about my legacy but at the end of the day, I’m all about the team and I’m happy to see Kenny (Gainwell) get out there and to see him go and get some reps.”

Throughout his time in New York, Barkley said he wanted to be with the Giants for his whole career and was a fan favorite. However, fans were seen burning his jersey in the parking lot, which Barkley reacted to after the win.

“That was crazy,” he said. “That was crazy. I’ve seen my jersey get burned before on social media, but the timing of it. I’m locked in, I’m listening to my music, and I see the fans, and all I see is fans just pointing, and I look and I’m like what are they pointing at?  I see smoke and I’m just like, where’s my jersey at? That was definitely different. I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced anything like that in my life and hopefully, I don’t experience that again but, in that moment, I was ready for third-and-one. I’ll just say that.”

In six games this season, Barkley has rushed for 658 rushing yards, the most by an Eagles running back through the first six games of a season, and he has been everything the Eagles could ask for and then some; he’s also everything the Giants are missing in 2024.