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The latest illustration of how fast things can change in the NFL comes in the form of All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley. Only two Super Bowls ago, it was unimaginable that Barkley would go from being the face of the New York Giants to playing for the Philadelphia Eagles -- much less leading them to another Super Bowl.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Barkley admitted he had been rooting against the Eagles when they made Super Bowl LVII in 2023, as they had knocked the Giants out of the playoffs in a 38-7 Divisional Round thrashing just a few weeks prior. The Eagles ended what had been a renaissance season for Big Blue, which had looked to have broken out of a funk of sustained losing post-Tom Coughlin with a 9-7-1 season and their first playoff win since Super Bowl XLVI in the Wild Card round.

"Of course I was rooting against them. They knocked us out of the playoffs at that time," Barkley said. "So, yeah, there was no part of me that wanted the Eagles to win. But it's funny to look back on it now ... Now being here with a lot of the guys that were part of that team."

Having made a heel turn and joined the Eagles after failed contract negotiations with the Giants, Barkley is now the key difference for an Eagles offense that otherwise looks virtually identical the one that the Kansas City Chiefs defeated in the Super Bowl two years ago. Barkley is on the verge of the single greatest statistical season for a running back in NFL history, as he has proven lethal running behind Philadelphia's all-world offensive line and out in the open field.

Barkley's success on the Eagles has become the latest chapter in the bitter history of the Giants vs. Eagles rivalry, one that Philadelphia has owned over the past decade. The Eagles are 6-1 (including playoffs) against the Giants since general manager Joe Schoen -- who spearheaded the decision to let Barkley walk in free agency -- was hired in 2022.