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Daniel Jones Was Cheering on Saquon Barkley in Eagles’ Playoff Win vs. Rams

Kristen Wong

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) carries the ball to score a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Lincoln Financial Field.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) carries the ball to score a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones apparently had a front-row seat to watch former teammate Saquon Barkley run wild in the Philadelphia Eagles’ divisional round win on Sunday.

In the Eagles’ 28-22 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, Barkley totaled 26 carries for 205 rushing yards and two touchdowns, both of which were long runs of 62 and 78 yards. His second rushing score proved to be the game-winning touchdown to lift the Eagles to their second playoff win of the year and book a spot in the NFC title game.

During Barkley’s dominant outing, Jones was reportedly sitting in Barkley’s box at Lincoln Financial Field cheering him on, ESPN’s Jordan Ranaan reported Sunday. Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard was with Jones and also rooting for “their close friend.”

Barkley left the Giants for greener grass last offseason, signing a three-year deal with the Eagles that has well paid off by now. The 27-year-old back eclipsed 2,000 rushing yards for the first time in his seven-year career and is now eyeing postseason acclaim, racking up a whopping 324 yards across two playoff games.

Though Giants owner John Mara made the poorly-aged choice to pay Jones and not Barkley, the duo parted ways on amicable terms, with Barkley telling reporters in November he’s stayed in touch with Jones this season.

“Our friendship has stayed close throughout the whole process of me being here," Barkley said. “It sucks to see how everything went down for him over there. I've got nothing but great things to say about him.”

This winter, Barkley will be hoping to clinch his first-ever trip to the Super Bowl in the NFC championship game against the Washington Commanders. Jones, on the other hand, will likely be taking a good hard look at his future with the Giants, who currently hold the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL draft and may consider selecting their next quarterback of the future.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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