Saquon Barkley’s debut with the Philadelphia Eagles was nothing in need of phenomenal, and the New York Giants ought to have a collective pit of their abdomen for letting him stroll.
Not solely did they let him depart in free company, however they let him get scooped up by a division rival and a workforce within the Eagles that appears primed to take residence the NFC East in 2024.
Barkley scored three touchdowns in opposition to the Inexperienced Bay Packers on Friday evening in Sau Paulo, Brazil. He regarded like a very completely different, rejuvenated model of the operating again that was so dominant throughout his time in school at Penn State.
Philadelphia’s offense is frightening. Quarterback Jalen Hurts seemingly already unlocked Barkley’s pass-catching talents, as his first landing of the sport was an unbelievable finish zone snag. He had two catches for 23 yards.
However the Packers had no solutions for Barkley on the bottom. 24 rushes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. It regarded manner too straightforward for him behind Philadelphia’s offensive line, which was nonetheless removed from excellent of their first recreation as a unit since Jason Kelce’s retirement.
Hurts and Barkley within the backfield, paired with DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, as among the finest receiving duos within the NFL, provides head coach Nick Sirriani probably the most loaded offenses on paper. And it lived as much as the hype in Week 1.
In the meantime, the Giants are nonetheless wandering the desert with Daniel Jones. Their beginning operating again is Devin Singletary, who has by no means even eclipsed 900 speeding yards in a season. They’re relying closely on rookie huge receiver Malik Nabers, who was stellar in school, however take a look at who was throwing him the ball at LSU, and take a look at who will probably be throwing him the ball within the NFL.
We hear it on a regular basis: the NFL is a results-oriented enterprise.
It’s arduous to see the Giants having improved outcomes with a significant downgrade at operating again, whereas their former famous person is already scoring touchdowns for the Eagles, who they are going to play twice per 12 months.
The Giants haven’t even began their season but, however you possibly can see how vibes is likely to be low. Not solely are the Eagles loaded, however the Giants will even need to cope with the Dallas Cowboys, who’re enjoying Dak Prescott on a prove-it 12 months.
New York has had since 2018 to judge Barkley with loads of contract drama alongside the best way, and GM Joe Schoen finally determined that he was not value conserving round. Eagles GM Howie Roseman gladly gave the star operating again a three-year deal value $37.75 million.
Whereas one recreation won’t decide every little thing, it looks like the Giants ought to already be kicking themselves for permitting that to occur proper underneath their noses.
