Sunday’s game will have two long-time rivals battling it out in Week 7, as the Philadelphia Eagles face the New York Giants. The hotly anticipated matchup will take place at MetLife Stadium, a venue that former Giant, now Eagle, Saquon Barkley called home for six years.
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As the matchup approaches, the star RB hopes there’s no bad blood between him and the fans. Not so surprisingly, he might be in for a rude awakening this weekend!
Barkley will be the center of attention at MetLife, having left his home of six years this offseason. However, the athlete feels that everyone has moved on and doesn’t expect a hostile reaction from his former fans.
“Maybe I’m naive, but I think it’s over,” Barkley expressed during an interview with ESPN. “That chapter’s closed. I truly don’t care no more. And I’m pretty sure fans don’t care no more… I don’t expect a great reaction.”
This is why the running back expressed that he doesn’t anticipate any boos thrown his way from the Giants fanbase, emphasizing his insignificance in the rivalry.
He believes that the competition between the Eagles and Giants has long existed before him and will continue to do so even when he is not around:
“I don’t expect to be booed…[The Eagles and Giants] probably played in over 200 games…This rivalry was there before me and it’s going to be there after me.”
Fans, however, don’t share the same sentiment. Known notoriously passionate about their team, they have already flocked to social media to make it clear they intend to boo him even harder.
One such internet user commented, “It’s new york fans, of course, he’ll be boo’d” while another wrote, “He was going too be boo’d but now he’s going to be boo’d harder.”
Yet another fan talked about the time when Lions’ fans booed their former quarterback, Matthew Stafford, expressing that he expects the same fate for Barkley: “If lions fans boo’d stafford, giants fan are booing saquon.”
Saquon Barkley doesn’t want to get booed at MetLife, this is what fans had to say about his wish pic.twitter.com/ONs8E6AWY9
— NFL World, What’s Up?? (@Whats_Up_NFL) October 16, 2024
Though Barkley seems to have made peace with his departure from New York, the fans are far from over it. Giants supporters still remember the pivotal role he played in their offense, and seeing him line up on the opposite sideline wearing Philadelphia’s green and white is bound to sting.
Despite the noise around his return to Metlife Stadium, Barkley has had a solid 2024 season with the Eagles.
Saquon Barkley’s debut in Philadelphia
The star running back switched to the Eagles in what he described as a “business decision” after spending six seasons with his draft team. Barkley signed a three-year deal worth $37.75 million, much to the disdain of Giants fans. Since then, he seems to have integrated well into his new offense with teammates Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown.
This season, Barkley has amassed five combined touchdowns, 482 rushing yards, 14 receptions, and 91 carries, helping his team to a 3-2 score.
Notably, after an impressive performance against the Saints in Week 3, head coach Nick Sirianni expressed his amazement at the running back’s skill set.
“I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve just really shook my head like, man, that was an unbelievable cut,” said the Eagles head coach, applauding Barkley’s 147-yard rush and two touchdowns in a post-game presser. “And he’s making these cuts at 230 pounds. Oh, on top of that, he’s making these cuts at 4.3 speed. Who is like him, you know what I mean?”
In the upcoming game against the Giants, Barkley will be critical to the Eagles’ success. His versatility and explosiveness provide the Eagles with a multi-dimensional threat that the Giants’ defense will need to find a way to contain. Ironically, for the Giants to beat their divisional rival, they’ll need to stop their former ball carrier.
