PHILADELPHIA – Did Saquon Barkley just put an exclamation point on the greatest season any running back has had in NFL history?
Actually, let’s put a pin in that – just as Barkley’s Philadelphia Eagles dropped a pin for New Orleans, which is where they’re headed for Super Bowl 59 after defeating the Washington Commanders 55-23 in Sunday’s NFC championship game.
‘I ain’t gonna lie, I tried to downplay it in my head,’ said Barkley. ‘But it’s just amazing, man. It’s amazing. We’re here. The Super Bowl.
‘But the goal wasn’t just getting there. The goal is to win. And we’re going to celebrate and enjoy this and get right back to work.”
The All-Pro runner’s impact was once again undeniable.
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Barkley’s 60-yard sprint-and-spin-and-sprint for a touchdown on Philly’s first snap from a scrimmage staked the Eagles to a lead they would never relinquish. His second touch of the game produced a 4-yard TD run. He added another in the fourth quarter that added additional cushion to a game that was already out of reach by that point.
‘Good tone-setter, right?’ said Eagles coach Nick Sirianni. ‘We knew they were going to sell out to stop the run. We kind of knew that. Then he breaks two or three tackles to start.
‘He’s hard to tackle. They don’t give me a vote for MVP, but I know who my vote would – that’s probably why they don’t give me a vote, because I would vote for Saquon. Special performance, special player, special job by the entire group to make that play go to start things off.’
For good measure, Barkley threw a key block for quarterback Jalen Hurts on his 9-yard scoring run midway through the third quarter, one that gave Philadelphia a 34-15 bulge. Barkley’s 22-yard bolt on the fourth quarter set up Hurts’ third TD run, a 1-yard “Tush Push” delayed by several intentional encroachment penalties as the Commanders tried to foil it.
On the day, Barkley finished with 118 yards on 15 carries. He now has seven TD runs of at least 60+ yards this season, including three in the playoffs, a record for a single postseason and more than any other player has in an entire career.
‘I don’t know, man, I wish we had a camera in our helmet so you guys could just see that view. Truly special,’ said Eagles second-team All-Pro left tackle Jordan Mailata when asked about Barkley’s proclivity for home-run football plays.
It’s especially great in the current NFL environment, a time when quarterbacks and the passing game rule the roost. In that sense, Barkley is something of a throwback given his consistent ability to dominate games on the ground. It even makes teammates nostalgic.
‘It’s like when I used to play ‘Madden,’ I’d just toss it to Barry Sanders and, you know, a lot of good stuff would happen,’ Eagles Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson said of blocking for and watching Barkley.
‘He’s a helluva player, great teammate.’
If not a seasonal capstone, it was the latest illustration of the impact Barkley has had on this organization since leaving the archrival New York Giants to come to the City of Brotherly Love last March on a three-year, $37.75 million contract. Aside from the numbers and team records, he almost instantly became a fan favorite and leader in what was already a veteran-laden locker room. He’s now on the verge of the brass ring he never approached in New York.
‘That’s why I came here,’ said Barkley. ‘I came to Philly to be part of games like this.’
Barkley now has 2,447 rushing yards this season, playoffs included, 30 shy of breaking Hall of Famer Terrell Davis’ league record, set in 1998. Davis’ 2,331 yards in 1997 were the second most until Barkley surpassed that total Sunday.However before Barkley seals a case for his campaign as the best ever by a running back, he’ll probably need to notch that final win Feb. 9 in the Big Easy. Both of Davis’ massive efforts ended with Lombardi Trophies, not to mention the MVP award in Super Bowl 32, when he rushed for a Super Sunday record three TDs to go along with 157 yards.
Prior to this season, Barkley had appeared in two playoff games during six seasons with the Giants. His next game will be his first on Super Sunday with the opportunity to be the difference for the Eagles, their nucleus mostly intact two years after falling 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57. Hurts rushed for 70 yards and three touchdowns that day but got very little support from his backs – Miles Sanders, Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell combining for 45 yards on 17 carries. Of that trio, only Gainwell remains on the roster (as Barkley’s sparingly used backup).
Now the Eagles are back up at the plate with a shot at their second title in eight seasons, but this time with Barkley, a finalist for the league’s MVP award, poised to provide a championship tush push.
‘Special player, man. Special players make special plays. And, man, what a player he is,’ said Mailata.
‘Truly special to witness greatness.’
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Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.