‘All he wants is a little bit of daylight’: how Saquon Barkley turned the NFL’s most harmful weapon | Philadelphia Eagles

Baltimore Ravens nostril deal with Travis Jones dropped the fabulous Saquon Barkley to the chilly turf for a one-yard loss on his solely carry of the third quarter Sunday, leaving the working again with 44 yards speeding on the day. Barkley has had 4 separate carries this season for extra yardage.

The Ravens had carried out an honest job to that time containing Barkley, however soccer video games consist of 4 quarters, not three, and Barkley solely appears to get stronger lately. Because the Philadelphia Eagles floor out a 24-19 victory over a fellow playoff contender, Barkley completed with 107 yards speeding.

That fourth quarter included 11 carries for Barkley, together with a 25-yard landing dash, then six straight carries on a five-minute drive that ended with a game-icing subject purpose. It was not his greatest recreation statistically, however Barkley, once more, confirmed what he can do with a recreation on the road.

“He makes good conditions out of dangerous stuff, throughout,” Eagles guard Landon Dickerson mentioned.

Barkley now leads the NFL with 1,499 yards speeding, on tempo to edge Eric Dickerson’s 40-year-old single-season file of two,105 yards, which was set when the season was 16 video games moderately than 17. Of way more significance to Barkley is that the Eagles are 10-2, winners of eight video games in a row.

Of these 1,499 yards, 982 have come after halftime, and 481 within the fourth quarter – with six touchdowns and 17 first downs. Sunday was notable as a result of the Ravens had the No 2 speeding protection within the NFL and had not allowed an opposing again to hurry for 100 yards.

Baltimore’s plan to cease Barkley was to construct a mighty wall and take note of plugging the gaps. Nnamdi Madubuike, the Ravens’ defensive deal with, mentioned afterward, “For essentially the most half, we did that, however on the finish of the sport, we let it slip away. We simply let it get away from us.”

It was not purported to occur fairly like this. Barkley, 27, the previous Penn State star who was the second general alternative within the 2018 draft, spent six seasons with the New York Giants, showing in two playoff video games. He performed in each recreation solely in his rookie season.

After a 2-2 begin, the Eagles have develop into bonafide Tremendous Bowl contenders this season. M&T Financial institution Stadium all however emptied after the sphere purpose made it 24-12, leaving jubilant Eagles’ followers in inexperienced scattered within the purple seats to chant, “MVP! MVP!” at Barkley. He heard them.

“My mindset goes proper to the locker room to benefit from the win,” he mentioned after the sport.

Barkley was grateful for a second probability – however he additionally occurs to be working behind the most effective offensive line within the NFL, the retirement of middle Jason Kelce however. The addition of Barkley, in flip, appears to have energized that offensive line. It’s serendipitous.

“You’ve gotten Saquon again there, and he could make you look higher,” mentioned Lane Johnson, the veteran Philadelphia offensive deal with.

Barkley can pop by the gaps and break a future. Barkley had two 70-yard landing runs as a part of an virtually absurd club-record 255-yard recreation on 24 November towards the Los Angeles Rams. He has 11 carries of no less than 20 yards this season.

Barkley was requested Sunday if he’d ever had extra enjoyable on a subject. He misheard the query, and commenced speaking about his fourth-quarter fumble that he’d recovered. He mentioned, possibly stretching the reality somewhat, that he had not been as offended at himself since he was a “little child.”

No: enjoyable, not fumble. Barkley smiled.

“I’m having a blast,” he mentioned.

A lot to the displeasure of the followers of the Eagles’ archrival Giants, Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75m free-agent deal in March with Philadelphia, who play solely about an hour south of Allentown, the place Barkley went to highschool. It felt somewhat like a homecoming.

Barkley was delighted to tackle the problem of becoming a member of a brand new staff. The Eagles sound like they’re a superb staff to affix, and Barkley mentioned he has loved the camaraderie: conversations on the lunch desk, grinding along with his teammates by weight-room periods.

“It type of provides me a school vibe, a school really feel,” he mentioned Sunday.

Jalen Hurts, the Eagles’ dual-threat quarterback, has develop into more practical. Hurts threw for less than 118 yards Sunday, including 29 yards speeding on 9 carries, however Nick Sirianni, their chatty coach, mentioned Hurts performed a robust recreation.

“I simply want they might give an O-line the MVP,” Sirianni mentioned.

Hurts, who speaks softly and punctiliously, mentioned: “I give a number of credit score to how our O-line performs in these moments and the way Saquon is constantly getting downhill and type of ending,” Hurts mentioned. “I see him in our staff this yr making a big effect in these moments largely, particularly when we have now to lean on him on the finish of the sport.”

It was Barkley’s eighth 100-yard recreation of the season, tying Wilbert Montgomery’s 43-year-old staff file with 5 video games nonetheless to play. Barkley is 109 yards from breaking LeSean McCoy’s 11-year-old single-season Eaglees speeding file. Barkley has larger issues in thoughts.

Philadelphia did get somewhat fortunate Sunday: Justin Tucker, the veteran Baltimore kicker preventing a mystifying stoop, missed two field-goal makes an attempt and an extra-point try, making a Lamar Jackson landing cross with three seconds left within the recreation irrelevant.

However the Eagles had additionally persevered. Sirianni was delighted, practically getting a penalty for working downfield to congratulate vast receivers Parris Campbell and Jahan Dotson for throwing downfield blocks that enabled Barkley to finish his 25-yard landing run.

Of the 1-6 end that blew their 2023 season to smithereens, Sirianni mentioned Sunday, “Final yr’s over. We don’t care about final yr. We realized what we would have liked to be taught from final yr.”

Nicely, Barkley was not round final yr.

“It’s a blessing having coaches who belief me, that may lean on me,” he mentioned. “We’re actually good at a number of issues, however we’ve simply received to maintain trusting the system – simply received to maintain trusting the fellows up entrance.”

And proper again at you, Saquon. The fellows within the trenches up entrance have grown to understand the person they block for. As Lane Johnson mentioned, “If you’ve received a man like that, all he wants is somewhat little bit of daylight.”