NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saquon Barkley hurdled backward into the highlight reel and ran straight toward the record book in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
He set the franchise season record for yards rushing. He's the ninth 2,000-yard rusher in NFL history. He has seven (postseason included) touchdown runs of 60-plus yards and is one of only two players in NFL history with at least 400 yards rushing and five touchdowns in a single postseason.
Go on?
OK. Barkley is 30 yards shy of breaking the NFL season rushing record, postseason included, set by Terrell Davis in 1998 with the Denver Broncos. Barkley has 2,447 yards (442 in the playoffs); Davis had 2,476 yards and led the Broncos to the Super Bowl title.
On Sunday, his 28th birthday, Barkley will hold the rushing record — and hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Barkley is the singular difference-maker — the game-breaker and sensational play-maker — the Eagles did not have two years ago when they lost 35-33 to Kansas City in the Super Bowl.
Barkley has steamrolled through the postseason and led the Eagles to 17 total wins, a division title and the NFC championship crown. He makes this version of the Eagles superior to the 2022 team and even better — so far — than the 2017 team, which won the franchise's only Super Bowl with backup quarterback Nick Foles.
Consider, against Kansas City in the Super Bowl, Jalen Hurts was the team’s leading rusher with 70 yards and the Eagles had just 115 yards rushing overall.
Barkley could hit that number by halftime.
Eagles offense
While Hurts isn’t at the level of Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes, he did shine in their first Super Bowl matchup. Hurts delivered a record performance in the Super Bowl, throwing for 304 yards and a touchdown, running for 70 yards and three scores, and adding a game-tying 2-point conversion.
Hurts is trying to become the fourth quarterback to win the Super Bowl as a starting quarterback after losing his first Super Bowl start.
The Eagles also set an NFL record for most yards rushing in a season with 3,731 in the regular season and playoffs. The Eagles have a chance to break their own record for most touchdown runs in a season. They have 39 heading into the Super Bowl — three shy of the mark they set in the 2022 season.
Eagles defense
Barkley isn’t the only new face from the last Super Bowl matchup creating havoc on the field.
The ninth-overall pick in the 2023 draft, defensive tackle Jalen Carter, flourished this season with five sacks, 53 QB pressures, 12 QB hits, five batted passes and two forced fumbles.
Led by Carter, the Eagles have three of the top eight and four of the top 22 interior pass rushers in the NFL this season.
Here are some more numbers that might force Mahomes to take one last look at the film to get a bead on just how great the Eagles defense has played this season.
The Eagles led the NFL in total defense at 278.4 yards per game for the seventh time in franchise history. The Eagles ranked No. 1 in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (174.2) for the second time in the last three years. Oh, and the Eagles are plus-27 in turnover differential from Week 8 through the postseason.
The other new face who made all the difference won't be found on the player roster.
At 66, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has incorporated eight new starters into a defense that ranked near the bottom of the NFL in 2023 and turned it into one of the league’s best as the Eagles led the NFL in advanced efficiency metrics.
Fangio has been integral in the defensive rebuild in Philadelphia. He saw enough in free agent Zack Baun to turn him from a special teams player, who got limited time on defense as an outside rusher in New Orleans, into an All-Pro inside linebacker and finalist for AP Defensive Player of the Year in Philadelphia.
He also helped incorporate two rookie starters into the secondary in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, which played a big part in the turnaround.
One major blemish is on Fangio's resume, however: His 0-8 record against Mahomes as a head coach in Denver and coordinator in Miami.
Special teams
Here is where the Eagles could run into trouble if the Super Bowl runs down to the last play -- and it’s the Chiefs, so that comeback drama is very much a real option.
Once so reliable he was nicknamed “Jake the Make,” Jake Elliott had the worst season of his career. He missed eight field goals in the regular season, and went only 1 for 7 from beyond 50-plus yards. He missed a combined three extra points in the playoffs and another field goal from beyond 50.
“I don’t think Jake really dwells on it. That’s the great thing,” special teams coach Michael Clay said. “He’s the kind of guy that, almost like a golfer’s mindset, you will hit a bad shot here as a golfer, but how do you bounce back from it? His mental is so strong. I’m never too worried about him. He’ll flush it after the first one.”
Elliott made all three extra points and was successful on both field goals (of 35 and 33 yards) against Kansas City in the Super Bowl.
Harrison Butker has stayed at the top his game for Kansas City. One of the most accurate kickers in the NFL, he kept Kansas City in the Super Bowl last year against San Francisco with a trio of field goals, including a 57-yarder in the third quarter, before his 29-yarder at the end of regulation forced overtime. Kansas City went on to win, 25-22. He kicked the winner with 8 seconds left to beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Dan Gelston, The Associated Press
