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01/24 13:27 CST Saquon Barkley is running his way into the NFL record book, and
possibly his 1st Super Bowl
Saquon Barkley is running his way into the NFL record book, and possibly his
1st Super Bowl
By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) --- Saquon Barkley is unsure himself why exactly over the
final 30 yards of a 78-yard scoring burst through the playoff snow in a run
that whipped Philadelphia Eagles fans out of their frigid state and into a
frenzy he cradled the football in his left hand and repeatedly smacked his
helmet with his right hand.
"I was crashing out, as the kids would say," Barkley said.
For the adults in the room, Barkley essentially means he momentarily lost all
sense of control, a delightful explanation for a touchdown run the NFL All-Pro
running back called the best ever in his career.
"Since I was a little kid," Barkley said. "Just the moment, the timing of it,
the conversation I had with myself. The stuff I've been working on. It just all
came together in that moment."
The whole season has come together as the finest in Barkley's seven-year career
and his first one with the Eagles.
Long reluctant to spend major money on running backs, the Eagles have reaped
the rewards and a rewriting of the franchise record book on their $26 million
guaranteed leap of faith on Barkley. He's flashed the kind of did-you-see-that
plays that fans say are ripped straight from a video game; including a
mind-bending backward hurdle that was so foreign to the sport Madden had to
release an update to make it possible in its game.
He nipped at Eric Dickerson. Has Terrell Davis in his sight. He's an AP NFL MVP
finalist.
Oh yeah, personal milestones aside, Barkley has run, run, run the Eagles all
the way to the brink of the Super Bowl.
Stuck at just two career playoff games in six seasons with the New York Giants,
Barkley has rushed for 324 yards already in his first two playoff games with
the Eagles. His next shot at history comes Sunday when Philadelphia hosts the
Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game, with the Eagles trying for
their second Super Bowl appearance in three seasons.
"It's 11-man football to stop this man," Commanders defensive coordinator Joe
Whitt Jr. said.
Take a look at the statistics and most teams have indeed failed to stop Barkley.
His 2,005 yards rushing (an Eagles record, eighth-most in NFL history) left him
only 101 shy of breaking Dickerson's season record of 2,105. Counting the
playoffs, Barkley set an NFL record with six rushing touchdowns of 60-plus
yards in a season. Again, postseason included, Barkley has 2,329 total yards
rushing, just 148 yards away of breaking Davis' mark of 2,476 yards set in the
1998 season when the Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl.
Barkley, who turns 28 next month, has a nose for football history and has
revealed all season as he closes in on the next record that he takes a deep
dive into the history books to see which team or Pro Football Hall of Famers
are ahead of him. Barkley smiled when asked about potentially knocking Davis
out of the top spot because he's acutely aware of how close he was to the
record.
"It's something that helps with the legacy play," Barkley said. "With my name
being mentioned, what I want to do, what I wanted to accomplish in this game."
Unlike when Barkley lost his shot at Dickerson's mark in the regular-season
finale, there's no more sitting out games.
Barkley likes to repeat what he says is his favorite quote from coach Nick
Sirianni --- "You can't be great without the greatness of others" --- and
there's no doubt his career year was anchored by an offensive line that sent
three players to the Pro Bowl. Offensive guard Landon Dickerson, tackle Lane
Johnson, and center Cam Jurgens were rewarded for their role on the line of
scrimmage in helping Barkley turn the potential of a few yards into of one of
his signature home-run dashes.
"Going against the best is going to bring out the best in you," Commanders
linebacker Frankie Luvu said, "and he's one of the best by far to ever play the
position."
The Commanders are two field-goal underdogs on Sunday but hardly feel like ones
headed into Philly in large part because they just beat the Eagles in late
December; and they did it by essentially shutting down Barkley over the final
three quarters.
Barkley had 15 carries for 56 yards in the first half of these teams' first
game this season Nov. 14 at Philadelphia, before finishing with 146 yards and
two TDs. He had 109 yards and two TDs in the first quarter at Washington on
Dec. 22, then had 22 runs for 41 yards the rest of the way in a game where
quarterback Jalen Hurts was sidelined by a concussion.
Barkley scoffed at the suggestion the Commanders might have his number. His
retort --- who else were the Commanders going to focus on with the Eagles'
second-biggest playmaker in Hurts out of the game?
"Every single time that I've coached against him," Washington coach Dan Quinn
said, "he's been the emphasis."
Hurts has been mid --- as the kids would say --- in the postseason with just
259 total yards passing and two touchdowns in two games while star receivers
A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have combined for only 11 catches for 100 yards
against Green Bay and the Los Angeles Rams.
In other words, as Barkley goes, so go the Eagles.
The personal records mean something to Barkley.
Winning a Super Bowl just means more.
"Win and move on," he said. "That's the only thing that's important."
___
AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno, in Ashburn, Virginia, contributed to this
report.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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