Saquon Barkley wasn’t looking for revenge against the New York Giants in his first game against his former team, but he made a big impact in his return to MetLife Stadium. Barkley rushed for 176 yards in a 28-3 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, the most rushing yards ever at his former home stadium.
Barkley averaged 10.4 yards per carry in the win, and that total came after three quarters. His career-high 189 rushing yards is also the most rushing yards ever by a running back against his former team. (Cedric Benson scored 189 RBIs against the Chicago Bears in 2009 while playing for the Cincinnati Bengals.)
Despite nearing his career mark against a team that allowed walks, Barkley chose to avoid any attempt to reach the milestone. This is the conversation head coach Nick Sirianni had when he spoke to Barkley about his record.
Coach Sirianni wanted Barkley to set a career-high, but Barkley passed to give his younger players a chance at a 25-point game. Sirianni described the conversation after Sunday’s win.
“We heard the news from the box that he was close to his career high, so that was on our mind,” Sirianni said after the win. “I was sitting there with him and I said, ‘This is where you are, this is what this is about.’ And he looked at me and said, ‘I get chills thinking about this.’ Yes, he looked at me and said, “Feed the others.” I was like, “You’re special.”
“This guy is such a great teammate. All he cares about is winning.”
Barkley had a chance to become the fourth running back in Eagles history to rush for over 200 yards in a game. He could have broken the MetLife Stadium rushing yards record (Isiah Crowell had 219 rushing yards with the New York Jets in 2018) — against his former team.
This may have been the ultimate insult to injury for the Giants, with Barkley really proving himself to be an asset to his former team. By the time Barkley was taken out of the game, the Eagles had already won, so it was enough for Barkley to have a big day.
“He’s a special player. He’s a special human being,” Sirianni said. “I know this football team loves him. That guy is a selfless person. That guy is a ball player.
“I can’t say enough good things about him…I wanted to leave it to him and he said yes.”
