Peter Schrager Identifies NFL's New 'Ultimate Closer'

High praise for a player having an MVP-caliber year.
Peter Schrager likes what he sees from one Super Bowl contender.
Peter Schrager likes what he sees from one Super Bowl contender. / Good Morning Football on X
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The Philadelphia Eagles have won eight games in a row after getting off to a rather pedestrian 2-2 start and their road trip to Baltimore on Sunday may be the most impressive of the bunch. Nick Sirianni's team responded to a 9-0 deficit by dominating the rest of the way, thanks once again to a dynamic ground attack spearheaded by Saquon Barkley.

The running back continued his MVP-caliber first year in Philadelphia as he carried the football 23 times for 107 yards and picked up some huge real estate as the Eagles melted the clock away. This is obviously a formula that's yielded a ton of success and one that seems like it will translate very well to the postseason—especially if the Detroit Lions stumble down the stretch and the NFC ends up running through Lincoln Financial Field.

Speaking about the workmanlike effort on Monday's Good Morning Football, Peter Schrager identified Barkley as the league's ultimate closer.

And right now it's hard to argue. Throw in the Eagles' ability to pick up short-yardage conversions with the Tush Push and Jalen Hurts' penchant for making plays with his own legs and it's formidable challenge for other contenders to contend against.

Closing has been a challenge for Philadelphia during their recent run and having that area become a strength as opposed to a weakness is tremendous news for their Super Bowl aspirations.


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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.