Beyond The Numbers, Eagles Running Back "Is The Glue"

The Eagles' offseason acquisition continues to ascend the team's rushing-record list and is closing in on Derrick Henry for the league-lead in rushing, but he means more than numbers.

Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) during the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - The Saquon show took the weekend off. Before exiting stage left, the Eagles running back put on yet another fantabulous show in Thursday night’s 26-18 win over the Commanders.

After taking the fourth quarter off in two of their last four games due to the Eagles blowing out their opponents – in this case, the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys – Barkley was fresh and rested, so he became the nail in Kellen Moore’s offense on Thursday night.

It was the offensive line that played the hammer. They kept pounding away at the Washington defense with Barkley picking up a few yards here, a few there. At halftime, he had 15 runs for 56 yards, an average of 3.7 per rush. He added five more carries in the third quarter but just 13 yards for a total of 20 runs for 69 yards.

By game’s end, he had 26 carries for 146 yards, a 5.6 yard-per-carry average, and two touchdowns, dashing across the goal line from 23 and 39 yards away.

“It wasn’t pretty, the run game, but eventually the more you attack it, the walls will fold, and you make big plays like that,” said right tackle Lane Johnson. “He’s one of those guys who can really explode anytime he gets the ball. He gives me a sense of urgency to go harder or stay more focused because that guy can do incredible things.

“He’s a great teammate. I’m happy for him. He’s had some injuries he’s had to go through, but I think at the end of the day, that makes him a stronger man.”

Johnson was talking about Barkley’s ACL tear in 2020 and some of the bumps and bruises along the way that made some question whether he would still be effective after Philly signed him to a three-year contract.

Those questions have been answered in a big way.

Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs off the field after win against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

With seven games left, Barkley continues to climb the team’s all-time single-season rushing record. He’s at 1,137, which is the 14th-best in the Eagles’ record books. Steve Van Buren is in Barkley’s crosshairs. Van Buren had 1,146 in 1949.

That year, 1949, is notable for another reason. That Eagles team had six straight games of rushing for 150-plus yards and two touchdowns. This year’s Eagles team has now done it in five and will look to tie the 149 team, which won an NFL championship, when they travel to Los Angeles to meet the Rams on Sunday.

LeSean McCoy’s team record of 1,607 set in 2013 could also fall. Already, Barkley joined McCoy as the only two runners in team history to produce 1,000-plus yards in 10 games.

Setting a career-high in rushing yards is on the horizon. With 1,137, he’s closing in on the 1,312 he had with the Giants in 2022, their only playoff season with Barkley on the roster for six seasons.

The Giants are an easy target for letting Barkley walk in free agency. New York’s running backs, including quarterback Daniel Jones, have 1,199 yards this year, which means Barkley has just 62 fewer yards than his former team’s entire backfield.

Barkley is also closing in on the league rushing lead, narrowing the gap between himself and Derrick Henry, who had 65 yards for the Ravens in their Sunday loss to the Steelers. Henry has 1,185 yards this season.

The 146 yards Barkley had against the Commanders on Thursday night was his fourth game above 140 yards this season and has 1,347 total yards, which is more than Henry’s 1,281.

Beyond all that, Barkley is just a great teammate.

“He can make you O-line a little better than what it is,” said Johnson. “I saw his ability in training camp pretty early, and I was like, 'Oh (snap).' I think he’s having, obviously, a great year, but he’s the glue. People love him. He brings people together and that goes a long way.”

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