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Ralph Vacchiano
NFL Reporter
The Philadelphia Eagles hadn’t done much on offense through the first 2 ½ quarters on Thursday night. It was nothing but “tough sledding” in the words of their head coach. The upstart Washington Commanders had dragged them into a slog of a defensive game — one they didn’t expect to be in.
That’s when they put the ball and the game in the hands of their best player.
And that’s when Saquon Barkley reminded everyone why he should be considered for NFL MVP.
Barkley did what he’s been doing since the moment he signed that three-year, $37.75 million contract back in March — he started turning the Eagles’ fortunes around. It started with a dump-off pass in the middle of the field, that he turned into a 43-yard gain to set up a field goal. And it didn’t stop there. He rushed 11 times for 90 yards over the final 17 ½ minutes of the game, turning a game the Eagles almost lost into a near-rout.
He finished that 28-26 win with 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and 198 yards overall. It was his sixth 100-yard rushing game this season and fourth in the last five weeks. He leads the NFL in rushing with 1,137 yards through 10 games, which is 175 yards away from his career high in a full season. And though the Eagles don’t use him as a receiver nearly as much as they should, his 9.1 yards per catch is the second-best average of his seven-year career.
Has Saquon Barkley emerged as an MVP candidate?
“I knew the guy was a special player,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said after Philly improved its record to 8-2. “The what-ifs, the possibilities of what he could do behind our offensive line, you don’t really know what to expect until you see it, until he does something. But he’s a special player, man.”
Added right tackle Lane Johnson: “(Barkley) makes you look a lot better than maybe what you are.”
All of that alone should be enough to vault the 27-year-old running back into…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/saquon-barkley-has-powered-eagles-turnaround-mvp-caliber-season
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Publish date : 2024-11-15 18:40:21
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