Sunday’s blockbuster at the Metlife Stadium, featuring long-time rivals the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants, is eagerly awaited for not just the match-up. The Week 7 encounter will see former Giant, now Eagle, Saquon Barkley return to the venue he called home for six years.
Advertisement
As the game approaches, the star RB is hoping there will not be any bad blood between him and the fans. Going by the mood, he might be in for a rude awakening this weekend!
Having left the Giants this offseason, Barkley will be the center of attention at MetLife. The athlete feels everyone has moved on and doesn’t expect a hostile reaction.
“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.”
The running back expressed that he doesn’t anticipate any boos thrown his way from the Giants fanbase, emphasizing that the rivalry between the teams is larger than any individual player. Barkley said, the history between the Eagles and Giants existed long before him and will continue 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.
