The NFL announced Wednesday that Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after his revenge game against his former team, the New York Giants. Los Angeles Rams’ cornerback Cobie Durant was tabbed as the NFC Defensive Player of the Week, while Detroit Lions’ kicker Jake Bates was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
This marks the first time in Barkley’s career that he has earned the nod as the junior circuit’s Offensive Player of the Week multiple times in a single season and the fifth-career selection for the star running back.
The honor comes as no surprise, as the running back gashed his former team for 176 yards on the ground, 14 yards shy of setting a new career-high, on 17 carries. He averaged 10.4 yards per carry and also broke out a 55-yard run to highlight his day. He also added two catches for 11 yards before Nick Sirianni pulled all of the starters in the final minutes of the 28-3 drubbing.
Barkley looks like a man on a mission in his first year in midnight green, currently 3rd in the NFL with 658 rushing yards behind only San Francisco’s Jordan Mason (667) and Baltimore’s Derrick Henry (873). Barkley leads the league with four 40-plus yard runs on the season and is third with seven rushes of 20 or more yards.
Barkley will look to continue his strong season when the Eagles take on the Cincinnati Bengals, who are tied for 21st in the league, allowing 136.1 yards per game on the ground this season.
