By then, Barkley and the Eagles had long silenced the Giants crowd, who booed him every time he touched the ball until they were worn down, much like the Giants' vaunted defensive line. Barkley showed that in the first quarter, when he caught a short pass along the sideline and literally ran over Dane Belton.

The No. 26 jerseys and T-shirts were doused with lighter fluid and draped on a fence in the MetLife Stadium parking lot. Mike Carpentieri and his pals have tailgated in lot D-10 for years, so they knew the Philadelphia Eagles team buses would drive directly pass them on Sunday afternoon as they arrived for this game against the Giants.

Barkley and a devastating defense gave the Birds a smooth victory after a week of chatter about Nick Sirianni's antics. And the coach behaved himself.