By now, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith may have already spent a multitude of hours studying each other's game.
The Giants and the Bears are set to meet for the fifth straight season in Week 4. Chicago has picked up a win in each of its previous three such meetings, including its 29-3 victory over the Giants in the 2021 campaign.
Now, as Barkley is set to once again square off with the Smith-led Bears front seven, he knows just what to expect from a linebacker who he thinks highly of.
Article Continues Below“Yeah, Roquan – I feel like I play him every year,” Barkley said during a press conference ahead of Week 4. “We play the Bears every year. He's a heck of a player, very instinctive, super athletic. He's one of those guys – I remember the game when I tore my knee against them. I went out wide and he came out. He was the first linebacker that ever tried to press me. I was like, that just shows you – usually, a lot of times, especially a linebacker, is going to want to back off and be threatened by my speed. It shows you how much confidence they have in him and how much he has in himself.
“Any time you go against a player like that, you want to rise to the level of your competition.”
Both the Giants and the Bears are looking to move to a 3-1 record in Week 4, and it will be noteworthy to see on who between Barkley and Smith will end up having the last laugh in this contest.