Saquon Barkley isn’t just penning a spectacular chapter of his NFL career, he’s rewriting his entire story.
The New York Giants allowed Barkley to walk away. Now the superstar running back is assembling an MVP-caliber season for the Philadelphia Eagles, setting a franchise record Sunday night with 255 yards rushing in a 37-20 rout of the Rams.
“I’m thankful to be here, thankful 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 I think this is a spot where I can rewrite my story. I feel like I can show everyone the type of player I can be and was meant to be.”
There was no mistaking that against the Rams, with Barkley tearing 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 has had two touchdown runs of at least 70 yards in the same game since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2009.
The psychological effect of those 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 rambles. It might have taken all the air out of SoFi Stadium except that 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 watch a replay of his carry. He caught a glimpse of his rushing total, which at 173 yards was 16 away from his personal record, and immediately regretted looking. It was the equivalent of informing a pitcher he’s throwing a no-hitter.
Immediately, Barkley set about expunging that from his mind.
“I looked up to see where I was at and I literally said, `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 popped a long one.”
That personal mark of 189 yards seems almost quaint in retrospect. Barkley shattered that and easily eclipsed the Eagles franchise record of 217 yards set by LeSean McCoy in 2013. What’s more, 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 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 anybody else could make,” said Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, 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 and invoked one of his favorite sayings: “It’s hard to be great without the greatness of others.”
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 games in a row and is squarely atop the NFC East with a 9-2 record that’s second in the NFC to Detroit’s 10-1.
Barkley is right up there with quarterbacks Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes as a one of the leading MVP candidates. The last non-quarterback to win those honors was running back Adrian Peterson in 2012.
“We’ll start thinking about that when the season’s 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 10 best 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 what type of talent he carries. A guy that size who can do that, it’s fun blocking for him.”
Barkley is still writing his season, and rewriting his legacy.