Saquon Barkley’s Philadelphia story could have a very worthwhile ending
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The lasting image of this indelible season will be a running back in the open field. It will be the coming together of memories: a cut, a catch, a worrying MVP-caliber force carving his name into Philadelphia sports history.
Saquon Barkley provided two runs on Sunday night that won’t soon be forgotten. They will be consumed between rounds in the most desolate dive bars on the most depressing days. Yeah, but remember that running? Someone will immediately ask which one. Sometimes the former is mentioned. Someone will chuckle. They joke about how Landon Dickerson flattened the Los Angeles Rams linebacker, who was flailing helplessly as Barkley slipped by for a 70-yard score on the first play of the second half.
A beer will break open the second story. The foam flows through the fingers, just like Barkley on the left side of the line. Remember how he planted that foot and exploded? Diving Rams edge rusher Jared Verse grabbed nothing but air. Barkley was already gone, already boisterous, already shattering two single-game franchise records simultaneously on a 72-yard touchdown run.
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Answer that you love Saquon Barkley.@saquon | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/0h0Whzyn49— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 25, 2024
Saquon Barkley sets an Eagles single-game rushing record AND career-high with 255 yards‼️@saquon | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/8spJ32UbFz
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 25, 2024
Perhaps by then, Barkley’s 255 rushing yards, along with his 302 scrimmage yards, will have successfully supported an MVP campaign that cornerback Isaiah Rodgers offered up unprovoked in the postgame locker room as if the award served as both a synonym and definition for the player who sparked the match. Philadelphia Eagles in their 37-20 win over the Rams at SoFi Stadium.
“It’s the first time I’ve been around an athlete like that,” Rodgers said. “Everything he does is shocking to me. It’s new to me. I’m just enjoying the show now, just like everyone else.”
The majority of Sunday’s announced 74,400 paying visitors wore green. A rowdy contingent packed into one of the stadium tunnels and chanted “MVP” as Barkley left the field. No Philadelphian has ever seen a running back like him. No teammate can even muster the words to describe the player whose seven 100-yard games sparked a winning streak that now stands at seven games.
“That’s not possible,” Dickerson said.
The left guard is also said to have lost his breath at one point. He somehow found himself in front of Barkley and on a screen blocked one of the running back’s four receptions for 47 yards. Barkley is the all-around catalyst. Coach Nick Sirianni said, “He has everything you look for in a back.” The head coach watched his offense waste its first two red zone opportunities and then leaned on Barkley while trailing 7-6 on a second-quarter drive in which he recorded 42 of 62 total yards, including a catch from 13 yards. down the sideline to the Rams 7.
Two plays later, Jalen Hurts completed a six-yard touchdown against AJ Brown, a catch that required an official review. Brown, a three-time Pro Bowler, finds himself the beneficiary of favorably formed defenses. He caught six passes for 109 yards, a significant total considering his tandem playmaker, DeVonta Smith, was sidelined with a hamstring injury.
“When you combine one problem with other problems, you have a problem,” Hurts said.
Problems. Oh yes. There were some problems in the game. But that baggage will rot on the LAX platform, long forgotten by an Eagles team whose offensive talent and defensive dominance can seemingly erase any mistake. Three penalties in four games forced the Eagles to settle for a second field goal in the first quarter. And inexplicably, Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore called a fourth-down Hurts draw that, after being stopped, gave the Rams two seconds to attempt a Hail Mary just before halftime.
But Josh Sweat fired Matthew Stafford to take away any damage. After giving up 8.8 yards per play on their first two defensive drives, the Eagles held the Rams to six negative yards on the final four drives of the first half. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s unit held the Rams to fewer total yards (290) than Barkley gained. They fired Stafford five times. Brandon Graham’s will be remembered for a long time. The 15-year veteran pumped up what felt like a home crowd before clobbering Stafford on a third-and-9. He moved into third place on the franchise’s all-time sack list (76.5), behind only Reggie White (124) and Trent Cole (85.5).
But that’s where Graham will likely remain. The team’s longest-tenured player told reporters his season is over after tearing his triceps in the second half. He said a Rams running back cut him off during the play and hit his arm with pain that he at first thought was something minor. But the injury ‘stayed a little longer’. He stayed on the sidelines. He started hugging his teammates. Later, in the locker room, he called his wife and children. They cried together. Graham, who announced earlier this year that 2024 will be a final farewell tour, may have completed his finale.
Brandon Graham hits Matthew Stafford as he throws a pass in the third quarter. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
“I hate that it had to go this way, but at the end of the day, man, I don’t regret it,” Graham said. “Man, I really said it all, put it all today, like I do every weekend. We’re just gonna see where we go, man. But I hope we keep that trophy in the end. And like I said, I’m going to do my part as captain. And the mission is still the mission. And I remain myself.”
Sirianni wouldn’t even discuss the possibility of losing Graham without some final confirmation from the incoming medical counsel. “I love him,” Sirianni said. “One of my favorite guys I’ve ever had the pleasure of coaching. We’ll see where it is. Again, I’m not ready to talk about it yet. We remain hopeful.”
“That sucks,” Barkley said of Graham’s assessment. “I was only able to be his teammate for such a short time, but it felt like I had known him all my life. He’s the reason why this transition has been so easy for me, him and all the other guys. It’s cool to have a vet like that, to be able to talk to him about everything. I remember OTAs sitting in the sauna and we just talked about life and getting to know each other. The energy and passion he brings, not only to his team but to the city. He embodies what it means to be a Philadelphia Eagle.”
Brandon Graham announces he is out for the year. pic.twitter.com/Mi9j0x5Mot
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) November 25, 2024
Barkley himself complies with the demand. His impact on the Eagles’ success is undeniable. His influence has reached the level of the quarterbacks who have dominated the NFL’s MVP awards over the past dozen years. The last non-QB to win the award was Adrian Peterson in 2012. Barkley should at least be considered to break that streak. His production defies human limits. He spoke to reporters next to his locker, where there was a notice from the league for a randomized drug test. It was actually tight end Dallas Goedert. He had jokingly hit it on Barkley’s locker to make an unspoken point.
Barkley signed with the Eagles to rewrite his story. He has now produced more yards than ever before in his career with the Giants.
“My story isn’t finished yet,” Barkley said. “It will continue. When the season is over, we look back, smile and be happy about the things I did or didn’t do. Right now we are just getting ready for the flight. Sleep well. Rest and recover.”
(Top photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
