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Why Giants were 'salty' after getting torched by Barkley, Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs against the New York Giants in the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Why Giants were 'salty' after getting torched by Saquon Barkley, Eagles in blowout

By Zac Wassink  |  Last updated Oct 27, 2025 12:26 PM ET

The Philadelphia Eagles tallied a whopping 276 total rushing yards as they smashed the New York Giants to the tune of 38-20 at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday afternoon. 

After the Giants fell to 2-6 on the season, defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches spoke with Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com about a unit that was repeatedly torched by a superior opponent. 

Giants' defensive performance vs. Eagles was "disheartening"

"It’s disheartening, honestly," Nunez-Roches explained. "We put so much emphasis on being technically sound. And to see that happen, it was disheartening. The first thing [emphasized] every week since I’ve been in football is: Stop the run. There are certain things you can’t overcome. If you’re allowing somebody to get [almost] 300 yards [rushing], it only takes 10 yards for a first down, and it’s a 100-yard field. So you’re really saying you have no answer to stop it."

The Giants held Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley to 58 yards on 12 carries in New York's 34-17 win over Philadelphia back on Oct. 9. Things were different starting with Barkley's first touch of the ball on Sunday, as he took that carry 65 yards to the house for a touchdown:

Barkley needed just 14 carries to accumulate 150 rushing yards against his former club on Sunday. That's good for an average of 10.7 yards per attempt. 

"We’re salty," Nunez-Roches continued. "To be honest with you, I feel s----y. I’m a run guy. I love [to stop] the run. I live for the run. I live for the physicality of the run. And when I look up and I see 200 yards, I am nearly just enraged. That’s me. That’s how I look at it, even though sometimes, the coaches are like, 'Hey, that’s not you.' F--- that. That’s me, bro."

Rakeem Nunez-Roches defends Shane Bowen after latest defensive debacle

Pockets of Giants fans called for the club to fire defensive coordinator Shane Bowen after its historic collapse during the 33-32 loss at the Denver Broncos on Oct. 19. Bowen's players didn't seem all that eager to fight for his job in Philadelphia, but Nunez-Roches ultimately defended the often-criticized coach. 

"Honestly, it just came down to making the plays," Nunez-Roches added about what went wrong for the Giants against the Eagles. "I don’t think it was anything with [Bowen’s] play calling. You still have to get off a block and make a tackle. It was poor execution on our part." 

On Nov. 2, the Giants will host a San Francisco 49ers (5-3) side that features elite ball-carrier Christian McCaffrey. As of Monday afternoon, ESPN BET had San Francisco as a 2.5-point road favorite for that matchup. 

Zac Wassink
Twitter/X Muck Rack

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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