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10/26 17:10 CDT Saquon Barkley breaks out with 150 yards before hurting groin
as Eagles pound Giants 38-20
Saquon Barkley breaks out with 150 yards before hurting groin as Eagles pound
Giants 38-20
By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) --- Saquon Barkley burst free for a 65-yard touchdown on his
first carry and topped 100 yards rushing for the first time this season before
he left with a groin injury, the kind of setback that could derail last
season's 2,000-yard rusher just as he was playing like his old self.
Hold up, Barkley said. He's fine, honest.
Barkley said he likely could have finished the game had the Philadelphia Eagles
not been dominating the New York Giants --- a hefty lead against his old team
thanks in large part to his most prolific game of the season.
Barkley ran for 150 yards and the long TD, and he caught one of Jalen Hurts'
four scoring passes as the Eagles beat the Giants 38-20 on Sunday.
"I don't think there's anything that we can't do," Hurts said. "It's a matter
of are we working towards it and working in it the right way?"
The answer through eight games seems to be a clear yes.
The Eagles (6-2) evened the season series against their NFC East rivals after
the Giants won 34-17 earlier this month, and they put the rest of the
conference on notice over the last two games that their offense has its groove
back.
Barkley ripped off a 28-yard run on the final play of the third quarter but
shook his head as he ran gingerly back to the sideline. He was checked out
inside the medical tent --- he called the injury "nothing crazy" --- and later
grabbed his helmet and jumped in celebration when backup Tank Bigsby ran for a
29-yard gain.
"I went out swinging," Barkley said with a laugh.
Hurts, who completed 15 of 20 passes for 179 yards, put the game away with a
17-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert to finish that drive and make it
31-13. Bigsby ran for 104 yards, and Barkley has an extra week to recover with
the Eagles headed into a bye.
Hurts' fourth TD pass of the game was a 40-yard strike to Jahan Dotson.
Barkley's initial carry gave him more yards than he had in all but one game
this season. He had just 44 yards last week against Minnesota and rushed for a
low of 30 against Denver, a precipitous drop a season after he rushed for more
than 2,500 total yards for the Super Bowl champions.
"They controlled the line of scrimmage and that was a major point of emphasis
and give them credit for doing that," Giants coach Brian Daboll said. "When a
team runs for nearly 300 yards, it's pretty difficult to control the game, if
you will. And we missed out on some opportunities."
Barkley's early breakout was another sign the Eagles' offense is clicking after
a sluggish start to the season. In a win at Minnesota last week, Hurts threw
for more than 300 yards and receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith had big
games. The Eagles ran for 277 yards on Sunday, the final piece they needed
under first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo --- who was on the hot
seat early --- to feel like they're on the path toward a repeat championship
run.
"In football it's always us. All of us," coach Nick Sirianni said. "I know they
love Kevin. But it's always all of us. I think Kevin's really mentally tough.
You have to be in this game."
Hurts connected with Barkley for a 9-yard touchdown and threw a 6-yard TD pass
to Goedert that sent the Eagles into halftime with a 21-10 lead. Goedert's two
scores gave him a career-best seven TDs this season.
Jaxson Dart failed to duplicate his masterful first effort against the Eagles
and threw for 193 yards and a touchdown for the Giants (2-6). With New York
trailing 24-10 late in the third, Dart was sacked by Jalyx Hunt and the Giants
settled for Graham Gano's 34-yard field goal.
Dart was sacked five times.
"We have to start figuring out ways to win because I do, I hate it, and I'm not
used to it and I'm not just going to accept it," Dart said.
Skattebo's season could be over The Giants' run at their first season sweep of the Eagles since 2007 and first win at Philadelphia since 2013 suffered a serious blow when rookie Cam Skattebo suffered a dislocated right ankle and had to be carted off the field. Skattebo was scheduled for surgery Sunday night at a local hospital. Skattebo took a hard hit over the middle and went down. His foot appeared to twist backward, and players from both teams huddled around the standout running back until he was driven away. Dart threw an 18-yard TD pass to Skattebo that tied the game at 7-all before the Giants unraveled. Injuries Giants: CB Art Green (hamstring), cornerback Cor'Dale Flott (concussion) and tight end Daniel Bellinger (neck) left with injuries. Eagles: Brown sat out with a hamstring injury and center Cam Jurgens missed the game with a knee injury. Up next The Giants host San Francisco next Sunday. The Eagles expect to welcome back defensive end Brandon Graham from his short-lived retirement when they return from a bye on Monday, Nov. 10, at Green Bay. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl |
