The New York Giants have to expect Saquon Barkley’s best effort every time they face him. Barkley’s motivation to go the extra mile to dominate isn’t just limited to his former team, though. The Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders fall under that category as well.

It’s not just the fact that the Commanders and the Cowboys play in the same division as the Philadelphia Eagles. While that matters, Barkley sees matchups against those two teams as personal. He felt the love from the Eagles when he was considering moving on from the Giants.

When it came to the Commanders and the Cowboys… Nothing.

Barkley recently addressed that publicly, making a quick statement on a livestream with popular streamer Janky Rondo.

“[I] Never heard a word from the Commanders or Dallas,” Barkley said. “That’s why it’s BTA when I see them.”

The first time the Cowboys faced Barkley in an Eagles uniform was during Week 10 back in November. The Eagles dominated the matchup, although Barkley didn’t have to go above and beyond for his team to contribute to the blowout victory.

Taking on just 14 carries, his second-lowest of the season, the star running back rushed for 66 yards. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry, then caught one pass for 12 yards. It was a quiet outing for Barkley the first time around, but the same couldn’t be said later on in the year.

In what turned out to be Barkley’s final regular-season game of the 2024 NFL season, Barkley took on a season-high 31 carries. He dominated the Dallas defense by rushing for 167 yards. The Eagles’ star put the cherry on top of his first-ever 2,000 rushing yards season.

While Barkley found a lot of success against the Cowboys, no defense caught it worse than Washington in the NFC East. In a Week 11 matchup, Barkley rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 52 yards.

Later on in the season, Barkley took on 29 carries for 150 yards and two touchdowns. As if it couldn’t get any tougher on the Commanders, Barkley dominated their defense in the NFC Championship game by rushing for 118 yards on just 15 carries. He had three touchdowns, with one of them being a long run on the very first offensive play of the game for the Eagles.

Considering the Cowboys were expected to be in the market for a notable running back like Barkley, the veteran star might’ve been waiting to hear them out. In the end, it seems the Eagles were the only other NFC East team to make a true offer. In the end, it worked out for both parties.

As for the Cowboys, they hope their committee can help get the job done this season.

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