Saquon Barkley’s career takes a huge turn as the Eagles’ MVP

On November 25, 2024By Littum

Saquon Barkley is not just writing a spectacular chapter of his NFL career, he is rewriting his entire history.

The New York Giants allowed Barkley to walk away. Now the superstar running back is putting together an MVP-caliber season for the Philadelphia Eagles, setting a franchise record Sunday night with 255 yards in a 37-20 rout of the Rams.

“I’m grateful to be here, grateful for the fresh start,” said Barkley, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft. “A big reason why I wanted to come here … is that I think it’s a place where I can rewrite my story. I feel like I can show everyone what type of player I can be and was meant to be.”

There was no doubt about that against the Rams, where Barkley ripped off a 70-yard touchdown run on the first play of the third quarter and a 72-yard touchdown in the fourth.

His was the ninth-best single-game rushing performance in NFL history and the first time a player had two touchdown runs of at least 70 yards in the same game since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2009.

The psychological effect of the long runs on a defense?

“It hurts their spirit, man,” fellow Eagles running back Kenny Gainwell said. “It kills them.”

And the Rams had to deal with two of those soul-crushing runs. It could have taken all the air out of SoFi Stadium except there were so many Eagles fans in the stands.

At one point, between his long runs, he glanced up at the circular video board to see a replay of his carry. He caught a glimpse of his rushing total, which at 173 yards was 16 shy of his personal best, and immediately regretted looking. It was the equivalent of informing a pitcher that he is throwing a no-hitter.

Immediately, Barkley set about putting it out of his mind.

“I looked up to see where I was and I was literally like, ‘Man, I wish I never saw that,'” he said. “That’s just the devil talking. I just kept my head down, kept trusting the system and I hit a long one.”

Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley hands the football to an Eagles fan after his first of two touchdown runs in the second half.

The personal mark of 189 yards seems almost picturesque in retrospect. Barkley crushed it, easily eclipsing the Eagles franchise record of 217 yards set by LeSean McCoy in 2013. Also, Barkley had the most yards rushing against the Rams, two more than DeMarco Murray of Dallas in 2011.

In the final tally, Barkley ran for 9.8 yards per carry. carry and generated a staggering 302 yards of offense.

“On the first play of the second half, he made a cut that I don’t think anyone else could make,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said, referring to Barkley’s first long touchdown run. “He just stopped on a dime … he put his left foot in the ground, went around the edge and then he just hit the gas.”

Like Sirianni, Barkley heaped praise on his blockers, invoking one of his favorite sayings: “It’s hard to be great without the greatness of others.”

Eagles' Saquon Barkley picks up yards past Rams safety Quentin Lake in the third quarter.

Since returning to Los Angeles in 2016, the Rams have yet to win a home game against the Eagles, going 0-4. Philadelphia, meanwhile, has won seven straight games and is tied atop the NFC East with a 9-2 record, second in the NFC to Detroit’s 10-1.

Barkley is right up there with quarterbacks Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes as one of the leading MVP candidates. The last non-quarterback to win these honors was running back Adrian Peterson in 2012.

“We start thinking about it after the season is over,” Barkley said. “I love being in that conversation, it’s cool and all, but it’s a team sport.”

Barkley spent six seasons with the Giants, yet five of his top 10 rushing performances have come this season.

“I think everybody knows what kind of player he is,” Eagles tackle Lane Johnson said. “He’s had some ups and downs in his career, but now I think he’s having a year where people can see the type of talent he carries. A guy that size that can do that, it’s fun to block him.”

Barkley is still writing his season and rewriting his legacy.