Coming out of the bye week, the Philadelphia Eagles were urged to feature Saquon Barkley and the run game to help an offense that’s been plagued by slow starts and turnovers.
The result against the Cleveland Browns Sunday was Philly’s least efficient rushing game of the season.
Barkley carried the football 18 times for just 47 scoreless yards in the Eagles’ ugly, 20-16 win. Quarterback Jalen Hurts’ day wasn’t much better on the ground, rushing 14 times for 33 yards without a touchdown. Combined, they averaged just 2.5 yards per carry on 32 attempts. Ouch.
Fans of the New York Giants, still grappling with their team’s decision to let Barkley walk in free agency and sign with their arch rival, will likely gnaw on that stat line all week as Philadelphia travels to East Rutherford, New Jersey, to play the Giants this Sunday. They've already started pushing the narrative that rookie fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy has been better than Barkley since taking over as the Giants lead back a couple of weeks ago.
MORE: Giants fans can’t believe Eagles have Saquon Barkley after 102-yard fumble for TD
The fun could end for Giants fans by the time the ball is kicked off, according to ESPN analyst Tim McManus.
In his early prediction for the Week 7 matchup, McManus expects Philly to deploy the “Saquon Barkley Show” on offense. Here was his full take:
Barkley may downplay the significance of playing against his former team, but there is little doubt the juices will be flowing for this one. Expect (head coach Nick) Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to tap into it. — Tim McManus
This would be very Eagles-Giants, as Sirianni would probably enjoy trolling Giants fans over Barkley even more than he'd enjoy a win on Sunday. You know Barkley will want the ball, especially coming off a dud against a banged-up Browns defense.
Get ready for a ton of Barkley rushes, catches — and a trick play or two? — on Sunday as the latest chapter in one of the NFL’s best rivalries continues to play out in 2024.
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