Saquon Barkley: The best player in the world? How the Philadelphia Eagles star joined the NFL’s MVP race | NFL News

New York Giants owner John Mara warned general manager Joe Schoen this summer that Saquon Barkley would have “a hard time sleeping” if he signed in free agency with the division rival Philadelphia Eagles. Rumor has it Mara didn’t even blink an entire season.

Barkley has torpedoed NFL defenses ever since, relegating the Giants to pathetic irrelevance; He served as the tailor-made focal point of Philadelphia’s rushing operation, which saw New York back out of paying him only to bench and release $160 million quarterback Daniel Jones.

This was the best thing to happen to Barkley’s career; operating on a losing roster marred by personnel craters, he acted as if he were on offense, shouldering the bulk of the workload for little reward. The funny thing is, averaging 20+ touches a game behind a competent offensive line on a winning team is slightly more enjoyable than in an environment where MetLife is mundane.

His switch from blue to green underlined something the NFL had already long been aware of but perhaps went unsaid in light of the Giants’ misery. Because he runs an exclusive league whose members possess perverse talents in athletics that most mortals can only dream of emulating.

The latest installment came on Sunday, when he posted 302 rushing yards, including 255 on the ground and touchdown runs of 70 and 72 yards, to lead the Eagles to a 37-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Not for the first time this season, a Saquon special stunned his teammates, including wide receiver AJ Brown.

“You’re already the best runner in the world, I think you’re the best player in the world,” Brown is heard saying in one clip. NFL Microphone Upgraded.

Brown had already admitted earlier in the week that he had to rethink his best player; His previous commitment was to Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry following his time with the Tennessee Titans.

“A couple weeks ago I told Nick (Sirianni, Eagles coach) that Derrick was literally the best guy I’ve ever played with. Then he (Saquon) jumped back over someone. I had to rethink that, man. He’s incredible, o “He was touched by God and he works hard,” Brown said. NBC’s Devin McCourty before the game against the Rams.

With Sunday’s performance, Barkley leads the NFL with 1,649 yards from scrimmage through 11 games, the second-most of any player in his first 11 games with a team, behind Eric Dickerson’s 1,726 yards with the Rams in 1983. He had 6.2 yards per carry and 257 receiving yards on 27 catches while averaging 150 rushing yards per game.

That puts him on pace to rival the single-season rushing yards record of 2,509 set by running back Chris Johnson with the Titans in 2009. Only Henry (4,728) has more rushing yards than Barkley (4,541) since 2022; Their numbers reached this number before. He has had a crooked performance as he missed 21 games over three seasons (14 games in 2020) due to injury.

“He’s a different type of player,” Rams offensive lineman Jared Verse said postgame. “I’ve never seen a running back like that. He can go downhill. He can jump. And he did both of those things on us, so we have to be better all around.”

Barkley has contributed 1,129 of Philly’s 2,181 yards on offense during their seven-game winning streak since the bye, accounting for 40 percent of the Eagles’ offensive output along with their seven touchdowns in that period.

Of course, he may be reaping the rewards of his lane-driving offensive line, which is centered around Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata, among the league’s most complete players. Of course, he could be taking advantage of the two-way threat of Jalen Hurts and the dynamic receiving tandem of Brown and DeVonta Smith, a team that forces defenses to balance their attention in a way that the Giants and their one-trick Saquon offense never warranted. Of course, Barkley’s production could also come hand in hand with the success of center Cam Jurgens, who looks like a long-term successor to Jason Kelce despite the pain of his opponents. But there can be no doubt about how Barkley has elevated Sirianni’s offense; from consistent short-yardage efficiency to decisive calls that transform or end games in key moments.

The latest candidate has a shot at becoming the first candidate to win the award since Adrian Peterson in 2012, pushing him into the MVP conversation. Only 13 running backs in the Super Bowl era have won the MVP award. That Christian McCaffrey was left out of the conversation last year despite throwing for a league-high 2,023 yards and 21 touchdowns was a reminder that his chances of surpassing his quarterback counterparts are slim. attack.

“What makes him so dangerous is you give him the ability to get to the second level without slowing down, he has enough speed and he is excellent,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said last week. “He’s as good as a slash runner at being able to handle the edges and then wipe out the angles. That’s why he’s had the production that he’s had, and that’s why he’s arguably been the type of MVP this season so far.”

The smug smile on Hurts’ face as Barkley sprinted for his 72-yard touchdown against the Rams told the story; The Eagles’ quarterback now enjoyed knowing he was on the side of a freak who made his job a little easier. Reed Blankenship’s imitation of the ‘Scream’ painting, Jordan Davis shaking his head in disbelief and Sirianni remaining speechless told the story as Barkley created a backstop against the Jacksonville Jaguars weeks ago; Do things no other player in his position can do.

Needle-changing production was paired with weekly doses of jaw-dropping genius that sparked last season’s vanishing Super Bowl haul. Barkley’s record-chasing campaign comes at a time in modern football when running back franchise tag numbers are stagnating and teams are trying to distance themselves from giving running backs lucrative multi-year deals out of fear of the longevity of the position, driven by the belief that it is cheaper. Solutions may be found during the first transition period.

His efforts may not spark a resurgence in return value or an increase in investment, but they do raise questions about how the league perceives return value. Barkley lifted the Eagles offense, Henry took the Ravens offense to a new dimension, and Josh Jacobs is the focal point of Matt LaFleur’s Green Bay Packers offense; The veteran trio is defying the latest trends a bit following their off-season moves.

Barkley and Henry will face off this Sunday between the Eagles and Ravens in what will be the earliest clash ever for a 1,300-yard rusher in an NFL season. The last player to throw for at least 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns through 12 weeks was Shaun Alexander in 2005, so Barkley and Henry are in a two-horse race for Offensive Player of the Year.

History suggests — along with Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen — that the MVP might elude him (and Henry, for that matter). But there is no one in the NFL playing better football than Saquon Barkley entering Week 13.

Watch the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Cincinnati Bengals live on Sky Sports NFL starting at 6pm on Sunday; then watch the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Baltimore Ravens at 9:25 p.m.; Stream with NOW.