Saquon Barkley had a quiet game in his return to New York earlier this month. Not so in the rematch 17 days later.
All it took was 17 seconds for Barkley to make some noise, rumbling 65 yards on the Eagles’ second play of the game to stake the Eagles to an early lead against the Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
He would go on to notch the first 100-yard rushing game of the season, doing so just before the two-minute warning. He ran 10 times for 107 yards, a 10.7 yards per carry average, as the Eagles grabbed a 21-10 halftime lead on a 6-yard TD catch from Dallas Goedert. That is a new career high for the tight end.
Barkley added a 9-yard receiving touchdown early in the second quarter. His two-score half gives him six touchdowns this season – four rushing and two receiving.
Running Game Clicking For Eagles
The drive that ended with his TD catch required a pair of fourth-down conversions – a 5-yard Jalen Hurts scramble on fourth-and-four just inside New York territory and a fourth-and-one tush push from Hurts to set up first-and-goal.
The ball appeared to be knocked loose on the tush push and recovered by the Giants, but the refs ruled that they had blown the play dead before it happened. That didn’t stop embattled New York coach Brian Daboll from challenging not once but twice.
The Eagles, who ran for 147 yards in the first half, are trying to raise their record to 6-2 heading into their bye. They will emerge on the other side of it with a Monday Night Football Game on Nov. 10 at the Green Bay Packers before returning home for a Sunday Night Football Game against the Detroit Lions on Nov. 16.
Hurts was 9-for-12 for 82 yards and two touchdowns. After a perfect passer rating of 158.3 last week, he ended the half with a PR of 132.6. He has accounted for 18 touchdowns this season, with 13 passing and five rushing.
The Giants suffered a big loss when rookie running back Cam Skattebo was carted off the field with 8:07 after an incomplete pass to him with Zack Baun on coverage. Zack Baun was in coverage to break it up.
Earlier in the game Skattebo caught an 18-yard touchdown pass to pull New York even at 7-7 with 2:56 to play in the first quarter. It was the fourth TD Skattebo had scored against the Eagles this season, adding to the three rushing scores he had in the first meeting.
The Eagles offense is on pace to have more total yards than opponent for the first time this season, with Philly notching 222 total yards to the Giants’ 118.
Baun and Jordan Davis notched sacks, which tie them with Moro Ojomo for the team lead with three each. Davis’ three sacks are a career high.
