Fresh off the announcement of his NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley brings a new dimension to the Birds’ offense in this post-season matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LIX. While the former Penn State running back can secure some impressive personal accolades this weekend, his overall impact on the field makes the Eagles a true force to be reckoned with during the 2024 NFL Playoffs.
Saquon Can Capture Some Impressive Records on Sunday
The Eagles star running back can capture some impressive records this weekend in Louisiana. Surely, Saquon would gladly trade any of these records for a Super Bowl trophy parade down Broad Street, but let’s take a look so you know what to watch out for on Sunday evening.
Saquon Barkley is 30 yards short of Terrell Davis’ all-time combined regular-season and post-season rushing record of 2,479. Like Saquon this year, Davis secured 2,008 yards in the regular season and another 468 in the NFL Playoffs during the Denver Broncos’ Super Bowl season in 1998. While Saquon will have an additional game to break the record due to the Wild Card round, the Eagles’ back still posted 442 yards in the same number of games as Davis did almost three decades ago.
Once Barkley vaults over Davis to set a new record, Saquon can fix his gaze on the first running back to rush for 2,500 yards during a season and playoff run. The 27-year-old back needs only 50 yards to reach that plateau.
How about the really insane records, Chris? Ok, ok. I got you. Barkley needs 169 yards in the Super Bowl to set a new all-time playoff rushing record at 611 yards by displacing Washington’s John Riggins from the Super Bowl XVII team in the strike-shortened 1982 season. Finally, the all-time Super Bowl rushing record is 204 yards, held by Timmy Smith from Washington’s 1987 Super Bowl XXII squad.
Saquon Barkley’s Impact on the Eagles
Saquon Barkley’s addition to the Eagles’ backfield this offseason transformed the Philadelphia offense. Kellen Moore’s offense could trust the ground game more often than Philly had seen, even dating back to their Super Bowl run in 2022. Behind a dominant offensive line, Barkley was able to shine explode for over 2,000 yards this season.
The Eagles ran the ball 621 times this season compared to 510 last year with D’Andre Swift and 544 carries two seasons ago behind Miles Sanders. With 345 touches this season, Barkley represents a 55% carry share in the Eagles offense, eclipsing Swift’s 45% usage in 2023 and Sanders’ 48% carry rate from 2022. You can’t blame Moore for feeding the ball to the NFL Offensive Player of the Year as he busted seven 40+ yard gains this season. Eagles fans had seen three total 40+ yard dashes combined in the two previous seasons.
The reliance on Saquon Barkley has only increased in the postseason. Barkley’s 66 carries are a 63% carry rate on the 104 rushing attempts by the Eagles in their three games. He is averaging 6.7 yards per run as a significant weapon in Philly’s offensive attack. During their charge to Super Bowl LVII against Kansas City in 2022, Philadelphia averaged 4.4 yards per carry.
Through Barkley, the Eagles’ offense was allowed to operate without relying solely on the quarterback’s production. It allowed Jalen Hurts to increase his completion percentage to 69% this season while tossing almost 200 fewer passes than in 2023. Hurts corrected the turnover narrative that has plagued him in his early career with an 18 TD-5 INT season. That 3.6 TD/INT ratio resembled the 3.67 TD/INT rate he posted on the way to the Super Bowl in 2022.
Philadelphia’s rushing attack against the Chiefs at Super Bowl LVII was non-existent outside of Jalen Hurts. The Eagles backfield of Gainwell, Sanders, and Scott had 17 touches totaling 45 yards, while Hurts racked up 70 yards on 15 carries.
Despite facing a solid Kansas City defense, the Eagles backfield is poised to provide a stiffer test in New Orleans in this Championship battle. Just remember, Saquon Barkley totaled 147 yards and two touchdowns earlier this season inside Caesars Superdome, the building that will host all of the pageantry that comes with Super Bowl LIX. More importantly, the Eagles pulled out the narrow win in NOLA back in September.
Related: Eagles Super Bowl Birthday Party: Saquon Barkley Says ‘Everything’s on Me’
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