Barkley Torches Giants In Return To MetLife
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Andrew Rosario
When the New York Football Giants hosted their hated rival Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday at MetLife Stadium, it marked the return of Big Blue’s most popular players for the last 6 years. Running back Saquon Barkley who helped the Giants to a playoff appearance 2 years ago (they beat the Minnesota Vikings in their wild card game) was given the franchise tag the following year. Barkley was looking for a long-term deal and repeatedly expressed to management that he wanted to finish his career in New Jersey. Barkley then stunned the organization and the fan base by signing a long-term contract with the Eagles. To make matters worse for the long suffering fans, Barkley wore the same number 26 that he wore as a member of the Giants. Giants fans let Barkley know how they felt from the very beginning as they booed him viciously every time he touched the ball.
After a very pedestrian first quarter (6 carries, 17 yards, 1 reception 10 yards) Barkley made his presence known in the second quarter. After getting stuffed at the line scrimmage, he takes the next handoff and rumbles 55 yards to the Giants 19. 3 plays later, Barkley runs it in from 3 yards out giving the Eagles a 7-0 lead. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (14-21, 99 yards) and the offense staggered from the very beginning. They punted the three times they had the ball even though Jones completed 5 of 7 passes for 47 yards. The running game was nonexistent as back Tyrone Tracy and Jones combined for a pathetic 6 yards.
The Eagles took a chance that led them to their second touchdown of the half. On the Giants 41, with Philly needing 3 yards to keep the drive moving, they decided to go for it instead of punting or attempting a long field goal. It paid off as Eagles Jalen Hurts finds a streaking AJ Brown for the 41-yard touchdown reception extending the lead to 14-0.
New York would get on the board right before halftime but not the way they wanted. Jones marched the team down to the Eagles 10 with ;9 seconds left. Jones connects with tight end Theo Johnson for the 10-yard touchdown catch. Unfortunately, Johnson was called for pass interference and the Giants had to settle for a Casey Kreiter 38-yard field goal cutting the lead to 14-3. Barkley finished the half with 75 yards on 9 carries. Barkley would continue his assault on the Giants defense in the third quarter as the Eagles turned the game into a rout.
After both teams traded punts to begin the second half, Barkley rumbles for 57 yards (38 yards on 1 carry) as Philly went 77 yards on 10 plays as Hurts runs it in from 1-yard putting them up 21-3. The Giants offense stalled again putting an exhausted defense back on the field. This time, the Eagles watched Barkley finish his day with a 44-yard run. 9-plays and 92 yards later, Hurts ( 14-21, 99 yards) added his second, 1 yard touchdown run leading to the 28-3 win. Barkley heard no more boos and as the sold out crowd saw him run for 176 yards on 17 carries and 1 touchdown.
Said Barkley afterwards of the reception from the fans, “was kind of hard not to hear that” but they’re “booing for a reason”. He acknowledge the Giants as well.
“Like I always said, I’m thankful for that organization. They’re the team that drafted me. I still got nothing but love and respect for all the guys over there, but I’m happy to be an Eagle.”
Giants head coach Brian Daboll benched Jones to start the fourth quarter in favor of Drew Lock giving speculation that he would make a change at quarterback next week when they travel to Pittsburgh Monday night. Daboll is staying committed to Jones saying, “I think he gives us the best chance, number one,” he said. “I thought there were a lot of plays that he did exactly what he needed to do and then look, there were some plays where it wasn’t just on Daniel, it was a collection of things. It wasn’t just one person, protection, or a route. It was a collective deal, and we’ll sit here, we’ll watch the tape. We’ll do everything we can do to be better this week.”
No passing game. No running game. A defense that spends too much time on the field. It added up to another embarrassing loss. Making matters worse was watching their ex-teammate torch them with a team they despise.
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