Saquon Barkley had (just a little bit of) mercy for his former team.
The Philadelphia Eagles star Barkley ran roughshod over the New York Giants, the team he used to play for, during Sunday’s divisional matchup. Barkley popped off for 176 yards on a mere 17 rushes. His best run of the day was a 55-yarder, and he also added a three-yard TD in the second quarter to open up the scoring at MetLife Stadium, his old stomping grounds.
.@Saquon scores against his former team!
: #PHIvsNYG on FOX
: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/2zGWWrlScy— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2024
Perhaps most impressively, Barkley did all of his damage in just three quarters. The two-time Pro Bowler did not get a single touch in the fourth quarter with the Giants already leading 28-3 at that point (which would end up being the final score). Kenneth Gainwell and Will Shipley got the fourth-quarter touches for the Eagles instead.
After the game, Philly head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters that he asked Barkley if Barkley wanted to go back in to set a new personal career-high for rushing yards in a game. But Barkley said to let the other players get touches instead. Sirianni called Barkley “a special teammate,” per Eagles writer Eliot Shorr-Parks.
Barkley’s single-game career high is 189 rushing yards (set with the Giants in 2019 against Washington), and he probably could have easily surpassed 200 there if he was going for it. But with the game already decided, Barkley decided to pull a classy move, which was even classier considering the harsh reception he got from his former fanbase on Sunday.
