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The Eagles’ Saquon Barkley runs around Rams safety Quentin Lake in the third quarter. Barkley finished with a franchise-record 255 yards on the ground. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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.
Read more: Rams are run over as Saquon Barkley’s 302 yards spark an Eagles rout
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…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/saquon-barkley-gives-another-most-110008722.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-11-25 11:00:00
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