Saquon Barkley’s name is forever cemented in the history books and Philadelphia sports lore.
On the final play of the first half In Super Bowl LIX, Saquon broke the record for most rushing yards in an NFL season, a record previously held by Hall of Famer Terrell Davis (2,476).
This past season, the Eagles running back rushed for 2,504 yards as he ran over and through the competition.
Barkley is just 28 years old and after six frustrating seasons with the New York Giants, Barkley churned out the greatest season in NFL history for a running back in only his first year in Philadelphia.
The Eagles stood at 2-2 before they finally realized what they had in the backfield, and that’s when the season changed for the team. After gearing the offense to run through Saquon, the Eagles ran off 13 straight regular-season wins and continued that run through the postseason to win the Lombardi Trophy.
The Eagles dominated their competition this year and scored 95 points in their last two matchups against the Commanders and the Chiefs.
That was in large part thanks to the season of the AP Offensive Player of the Year.
Saquon was undoubtedly the best player on the offensive side of the ball for the Eagles and finished the regular season as the NFL’s rushing champion with 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He was also considered by many to be a leading MVP candidate as well.
I believe that he deserved more votes and, ultimately, deserved to win the award.
But it’s important to remember how this all came to be.
The star running back was not wanted back by the Giants, who instead chose to give Daniel Jones, who’s not even on the team anymore, a big contract.
So absent the money he deserved, he became a free agent and ultimately with the Eagles.
After arriving in Philadelphia, he transformed the team and elevated it, helping the Eagles complete the Super Bowl dream that went unfinished in 2023 after losing to the Chiefs.
In the Super Bowl rematch in New Orleans, Saquon was the Chiefs’ primary focus, which is why his rushing numbers weren’t as high as in previous weeks. But he still ran for 57 yards on 25 carries and caught six passes for 40 yards.
But with the way Jalen Hurts was managing the game and the defense was dominating the Chiefs at every position, Barkley wasn’t needed as much.
And, in his humble way, he was fine with it.
“It’s cool,” Barkley said after the Super Bowl LIX victory. “To be honest, the most important thing was winning the Super Bowl. Because if we didn’t win today, all those accolades and all those yards wouldn’t mean anything. So, it’s cool. I don’t want to downplay it because I couldn’t do it without the boys up front, and I know how much that means to them. For me, thankful, couldn’t do it without God, but I like that Lombardi Trophy a little bit more.”
Saquon Barkley arrived at a former rival’s organization and changed the dynamics of the team, and in his first season in the City of Brotherly Love, he added his name to the history books.
