Commanders DC Comments On How To Slow Eagles Saquon Barkley's Explosive Plays

The Washington Commanders' defensive coordinator knows just what to expect when they face off against Saquon Barkley and the Eagles.

Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. / WUSA9

The Washington Commanders broke their long drought of not reaching the NFC Championship game after upsetting the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round and now get to matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles for a third time this season after the two split the series in the regular season.

Familiarity. That is what speaks volumes in this one as the two teams will battle it out for the chance to reach the Super Bowl where they face off against either the Kansas City Chiefs or Buffalo Bills. Before the Commanders can even begin to think about a Super Bowl appearance they will have to get through the Eagles who boast a strong defense and an offense that can hurt you in many different ways.

Outside of quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receivers DaVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, the Eagles' offense runs through running back Saquon Barkley. Before the matchup and following practice this week, Washington defensive coordinator, Joe Whitt Jr., spoke to the media on limiting Barkley's threat to create explosive plays.

“That's the whole thing. You watch when they played the Rams, they brought him up some and then he knocks one, he does against everybody. And so, what we have to do is just make sure we're disciplined upfront. We're ready to flow at the second level."

Whitt Jr. acknowledged that you can do almost anything to try and stop Barkley's output but at some point, he is going to make a play that will test the discipline of defenses and that they have to be ready for it. Continuing his presser, Whitt Jr. then got into the things that Barkley does that allow him to be so successful at creating the big play for the Eagles.

"And then the thing that I think he does better than anybody in the league, nobody talks about his home run ability, but he breaks the middle field safety off. If you don't take a confident angle, if you take a touchdown angle, he runs past you," said Whitt Jr. "Or if you take a overconfident angle, he cuts it back. So, you have to be able to get to his inside hip in a confident way and get him down. If not, you're not going to make the tackle. So, it’s 11-man football to stop this man. And if you don't do it, you're going to see those explosive runs which you've seen against everybody else.”

Barkley is one of the most dangerous players in the entire league. He can carry a team on his back and will them to victory at almost any moment. Barkley led the league in carries with 345 and also in yards with 2,005 while finding the end zone 13 times - earning him the honor of being considered for this season's Most Valuable Player award.

Against the Commanders in two games, Barkley has continued his strong performance by rushing 55 times for a total of 296 yards with four scores. Washington hasn't quite figured out how to slow Barkley down, but if there would be a time for it to happen it would be in this third matchup in the NFC Championship game for a chance to raise the Lombardi Trophy.

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