Picking out a timeframe of, say, the last five years, the New York Giants are 16-23-1 at home. But since 2020 at MetLife Stadium against the Eagles, they are 3-1.
Something has to give on Sunday against the Giants (1 p.m., FOX, 94.1-WIP FM), when the Eagles face their first divisional opponent of the season.
Former Giants running back Saquon Barkley, New York’s 2018 first-round pick out of Penn State (No. 2 overall) may hear plenty of boos, but it’s not his fault the Giants chose not to re-sign their best player after six years of letting him get beaten up behind a bad offensive line.
He repeatedly tried to work out a guaranteed deal with them, but they repeatedly declined. Their ultimate decision to tell him to test free agency was embarrassingly captured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”
Still, it doesn’t sit well in New York that Barkley almost immediately signed with the Giants’ division rival down the Turnpike in Philadelphia.
“I’m going to treat it the same way I always treat it,” Barkley said of Sunday’s matchup in the Meadowlands. “I always have the mindset that every game is special. … Obviously, there’s going to be some history there, for sure, especially going back there. It’ll be interesting. It’s a big game, so I’m excited for that. I don’t expect to get booed. This rivalry is so much bigger than what happened in the offseason between me and the Giants or ‘Hard Knocks.’ This has been going on for a very long time.
“I’ve been on the other side and I know how Giants fans feel. I don’t know what the environment’s going to be like, but I’m excited.”
He has a reason to be, since the pre-game hype has been mostly about Barkley returning to the Meadowlands. But then again, with the Eagles going to 3-2 by virtue of a very close win over hapless Cleveland, and the Giants sinking to 2-4 after a bad loss to Cincinnati, what else would be the hype be for?
“As a player, as a competitor, you kind of welcome those environments and those moments,” Barkley said. “I don’t know what it’s going to be like, but however it is, hopefully it gives me a little extra juice to help my team win. … The NFC East is the only division where every team has won a Super Bowl. … I don’t have to prove anything to them (the Giants).
“The most important thing is winning. As long as I go out there and ball, there’s no, ‘Look at what you guys let go.’”
Barkley is fourth in the league in rushing yards (482) while playing one fewer game than most running backs. He also has 94 receiving yards and five total touchdowns.
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The Eagles’ defense often lined up in a five-wide set against Cleveland last week and had success blitzing rookie nickel corner Cooper DeJean. He finished with six tackles, a half-sack and a quarterback hit in his first start. The Giants will be without left tackle Andrew Thomas, out for the year now after foot surgery. That could open up more opportunities for blitzes and pressure up front.
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NOTES >> The Eagles are the 11th team in the last 20 seasons to go scoreless in the first quarter through the first five games. Of those teams, only the 2006 New York Jets made the playoffs. …. The FOX television crew will be Chris Meyers, Mark Sanchez and Christina Pink.
