You know the New York Giants had a terrible offseason when safety Xavier McKinney is leading the NFL with seven interceptions and he doesn't get a scintilla of media attention. Running back Saquon Barkley turning into an MVP after joining the Philadelphia Eagles has become a national talking point.
One of the more painful recurring bits in the NFL is watching Barkley strengthen his MVP case while the Giants, who recently released starting quarterback Daniel Jones, struggle to compete in most of their games. The gulf between these two teams was exemplified in both of their Week 11 games.
The Eagles moved to 9-2 on Sunday Night Football after crushing the Los Angeles Rams on the road, while the Tommy DeVito-led Giants were crushed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-7 at home and fell to 2-9 on the season. Barkley himself was so dominant that he outpaced the Giants entirely.
Barkley tallied 302 yards from scrimmage, including 255 yards rushing, while finding the end zone twice on a pair of long touchdown runs. The Giants as a whole, who were shut out in the first half, managed just 245 yards and one touchdown, which came when the result was already decided.
The Giants clearly don't have the same level of offensive talent Philadelphia does, meaning Barkley wouldn't have done anything close to what he's produced with the Eagles if he stayed in New York blue. However, he would have been their most impactful offensive player, even when compared to Malik Nabers.
Barkley is averaging an insane 6.2 yards per carry this season, all while playing behind arguably the best offensive line in the league. Barkley, who has 1,392 rushing yards and 1,649 yards from scrimmage this season, is on pace to break Eric Dickerson's record for rushing yards in a season and Chris Johnson's mark for scrimmage yards in a season.
The Giants, meanwhile, are on their second quarterback, and he played so poorly they could move onto a third. Tyrone Tracy has potential, but it's obvious he will never reach the same highs Barkley did with the Giants.
Losing Barkley is one thing. Losing him to the Eagles is another. Losing him to the Eagles so you could keep an underperforming quarterback on an ill-advised long-term contract that produced three wins in two seasons is so bad it could easily get Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll fired.
