PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley ran for touchdowns of 70 and 72 yards, putting him in the Eagles franchise record book.
Might he also run his way into an MVP award or a Super Bowl berth for Philadelphia?
The Eagles (9-2) have reeled off seven straight wins since the bye, including Sunday’s 37-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, and trail Detroit by one game for the best record in the NFC. Only the Lions, Chiefs and Bills have better odds to win the Super Bowl according to BetMGM Sportsbook, and coach Nick Sirianni has Barkley and Jalen Hurts at the top of their games headed down the stretch.
Barkley has emerged as a heavy MVP favorite and stamped himself as perhaps the greatest free-agent acquisition in team history with a season to remember for the Eagles.
Consider:
—He finished the game with a career-high 255 rushing yards on 26 carries and two rushing TDs.
—His 255 yards on the ground set the Eagles’ single-game rushing record (LeSean McCoy, 217 yards in 2013 vs. Detroit).
—Barkley had the ninth-best single-game rushing performance in NFL history, trailing Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson (296 yards in 2007 vs. San Diego) and Buffalo’s O.J. Simpson (273 yards in 1976 at Detroit), among others.
—He eclipsed 100-plus rushing yards for the seventh time this season (most in the NFL in 2024), tying his career high (2018 with N.Y. Giants).
—His seven games with 100-plus rushing yards are tied for the second most in Eagle’s single-season history, trailing only Wilbert Montgomery in 1981 (eight).
“He just added a new dimension for us,” Hurts said.
Barkley also became the first NFL player with two 70-yard TD runs in a game since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2009.
For those keeping score at home, the Giants have lost QB Daniel Jones and Barkley with nothing to show for it but a losing record.
“I didn’t know I would have this much success, (but) I’m thankful to be here,” Barkley said. “I’m thankful for the fresh start. A big reason why I wanted to come here (is) I felt like this is a spot where I could rewrite my story and show everyone the type of player that I feel like I can be and was meant to be, and it’s working out right now.”
What’s working
Let’s give the game ball to Barkley.
Barkley totaled 302 yards from scrimmage in the win (255 rushing, 47 receiving), marking the most by any player in Eagles history and the ninth-most in a game in NFL history (last: Antonio Brown, 306 scrimmage yards in 2015 vs. Oakland).
He eclipsed 1,500-plus scrimmage yards for the season (1,602), making him the fastest player to hit that number through the first 11 games with a new team in NFL history.
It’s also the most by any player in franchise history through the first 11 games of a season.
What needs help
Did you see the score? Have you seen the record? Did you catch the Barkley and Hurts highlights?
The only thing that needs help are Eagles fans trying to cope with the idea the team could collapse in December for a second straight season.
Stock up?
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie. Lurie agreed to sell small ownership stakes totaling 8% of the team to two families, according to the Sports Business Journal. Lurie would still control 85% of the team and has no plans to divest further, the SBJ reported.
Lurie spent $185 million to buy control of the team in 1994.
The SBJ report says Susan Kim, chairman of the board of semiconductor company Amkor Technology, and Ed Peskowitz, founder of United Communications Group and a former co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks, purchased small stakes in the Eagles.
Stock down
Health was the only issue. CB Darius Slay (concussion) left in the second half. WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) sat out for only the third time in his four-year career. But the Eagles suffered a devastating injury.
Injuries
The Eagles lost the heart of the team when defensive end Brandon Graham announced after the game that he was out for the season with a torn triceps. He said previously this would be his final season.
The most famous moment in Eagles history is the trick play that saw QB Nick Foles catch a touchdown to lead them past the New England Patriots for the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory. Right behind it? Graham’s strip-sack of Tom Brady in the same game with 2:21 left in the fourth quarter. Derek Barnett recovered and the Eagles hung on to win 41-33.
Graham said he had been dealing with tendinitis in his triceps before he was injured Sunday.
“If I had to go out like this, I gave everything I got,” he said.
Graham had two tackles and one sack, leading a defensive front that constantly harassed Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and sacked him five times. Graham has 3 1/2 sacks this season, his 15th with the Eagles.
Graham has been a stalwart for the Eagles since they drafted him 13th overall in 2010. He has 76 1/2 career sacks, moving into third in franchise history when he took down Stafford in the second quarter.
“He’s a leader of this team, and we’re going to rally around him and have his back,” Barkley said.
Key number
290 — The Eagles have held opponents under 300 total yards for the seventh straight game, the franchise’s longest streak since 2008.
Next steps
The Eagles have a short road trip to play the Baltimore Ravens.
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