Eagles RB Saquon Barkley wins against the Giants in the first game against the former team

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley rushed for 176 yards on 17 carries against the New York Giants, his former team, single-handedly outscoring their offense on Sunday.

Barkley nearly reached his career high of 189 rushing yards, which he set with the Giants on December 22, 2019, but was substituted in the fourth quarter with his team leading 28-3. He still outscored his former team's offense 187-119 when factoring in his number of goals.

Barkley, the second overall pick in the 2018 draft by New York, signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles in March. The deal includes a $26 million guarantee.

New York was unable to reach a deal with the 27-year-old Barkley this offseason, a year after he played under the non-exclusive franchise tag.

The Giants' motivations for letting Barkley go were revealed in an episode of HBO Hard hitsand it partly had to do with how much the team paid quarterback Daniel Jones.

“We need to improve the offensive line and you pay (Jones) $40 million. “It’s not about giving the ball away to a $12 million player,” general manager Joe Schoen said on the show.

In five games entering Sunday, Barkley had rushed for 482 yards on 91 carries and four touchdowns. His 5.3 yards per carry average in Week 6 is the best of his career.

The Giants are now 29th in the NFL with 3.9 yards per carry.

The passing offense led by Jones wasn't much better after the team selected wide receiver Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick. New York has thrown just six touchdowns, the fourth fewest in Week 7.

Jones threw for just 99 yards on Sunday before being shut out in the fourth quarter.

Philadelphia won 28-3.