The numbers behind Saquon Barkley’s revenge against the Giants

As Giants fans filled MetLife Stadium wearing TRAITOR #26 jerseys, Saquon Barkley dominated the Meadowlands with 176 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles’ easy 28-3 win over New York.

It was everything Eagles fans dreamed of when the team brought the superstar back to Philadelphia, away from a bitter division rival. The offseason drama “Hard Knocks” only added fuel to the fire ahead of Barkley’s first game against his former team. The Eagles finally pulled out all the stops for a 25-point win, their first truly convincing win of the season, and Barkley was a key cog in keeping the Birds’ well-oiled machine running.

• Saquon Barkley’s 176 yards were the best performance for an Eagle since LeSean McCoy’s famous 217-yard day during the Snow Globe game against Detroit in 2013 (via Stathead). The 176 yards were the Eagle’s 11th in a single game.

• In his 17 carries against his old team, Barkley posted a mind-boggling average. 10.4 yards per carry. Maybe that’s normal if you’re Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, but it’s just not normal at the professional level. Barkley’s 10.4 yards per carry were the second-highest in team history (minimum 17 carries, per Stathead). Who is he after? Of course, you won’t guess. Barkley trails Swede Hanson, who averaged 10.6 yards per carry for 190 yards in a win over the Cincinnati Reds in 1934 (yes, the Reds). The Birds won that day by a whopping 64-0. Barkley previously had some huge yards per carry during his time with the Giants, albeit on fewer carries. He went 14-170-1 (12.1 yards per play) as a rookie and then posted an 11-120 game (10.9 YPC) in 2019.

• Barkley’s 176 yards were the second-most of his career. Barkley previously scored 189 points in 2019 for New York. If Barkley doesn’t come up late in the Eagles’ win over the Giants, he’ll likely surpass that mark. Perhaps he will at some point this season!

• Barkley’s 658 yards at six games, he is currently third most in the NFL, behind Baltimore’s Derrick Henry (704) and San Francisco’s Jordan Mason (667). McCoy is the Eagles’ all-time rushing rusher in a single season with 1,607 yards in 2013. By comparison, McCoy “only” had 630 yards in the Birds’ first six games that year. McCoy later had four games that season with over 130 yards rushing, including that legendary game in the Snow Bowl. Unsurprisingly, considering he beat McCoy, Barkley’s yardage total is the most for an Eagle through the first six games of the season (per Stathead). Can Barkley dethrone McCoy in his first year in midnight green? Eagles fans would definitely love to see this game.

• Final Revenge… Barkley’s 176 yards were the second-most in NFL history against his former team:

This performance is a dish best served cold…

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