Saquon Barkley

Saquon Barkley making strong case for NFL’s Most Valuable Player award as Eagles improve to 9-2

The Philadelphia Eagles handled the Los Angeles Rams in SoFi Stadium 37-20 on Sunday Night Football, and Saquon Barkley had the game of his life.

255 rushing yards on 23 carries, with two rushing touchdowns. 302 scrimmage yards. One for the memory books, as Barkley broke the Eagles single-game rushing record, previously held by LeSean McCoy.

The 27-year-old had two rushing touchdowns of 70+ yards in the game. Video game stuff.

Barkley leads the league in rushing yards with 1,392 and is on pace for 2,151 yards. He has already eclipsed his single-season career-high in rushing yards.

Since the season began, Barkley has been phenomenal. He’s rushed for at least 100 yards in seven of the Eagles’ first eleven games. Pretty remarkable stuff from Barkley, especially given the amount of star-power Philly’s offense contains.

Saquon has four multi-touchdown games on the ground and leads the entire NFL in yards per carry (6.2). According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Barkley’s eight plays where he was clocked at 20+ MPH is double second place’s, as Ravens star Derrick Henry has four.

MVP?

Saquon Barkley’s seemingly historic first season in Philadelphia has raised the question of whether he is the league’s most valuable player. Barkley’s week-to-week dominance on the stat sheet isn’t the only thing that helps his hypothetical MVP case.

His leadership, unselfishness, and resilience have all lifted Barkley’s resume.

He gets better as games go on and is the ultimate closer for the Philadelphia Eagles. His +445 rushing yards over expected in the second half this season is the highest in the league and the most through 12 games since at least 2018, according to Next Gen Stats.

He’s been Mariano Rivera in the second half, and his big-play knockout punch ability late in games is reminiscent of Mike Tyson. A true superstar who can be credited the most as anyone else for Philadelphia’s 9-2 start.

The Field

For Saquon Barkley to win league MVP, the reality is a quarterback cannot take it from him. What does that mean? If a quarterback has an excellent end to the season, their team wins a bunch of games, and their overall stats look great, the award is likely theirs.

It’s the assumption, as a quarterback has won the award every year since 2013.

Who could that be? It’s only fair to start with the reigning MVP, Lamar Jackson. He is unsurprisingly putting together another amazing campaign, and if the Ravens start winning again, his case for MVP number No. 3 will be extremely appealing

Jackson’s counting stats are simply unbelievable, as his 25/3 TD:INT ratio is one of the best in the sport. He’s done damage with his legs, as usual, and is compiling another great season.

The Buffalo Bills are really, really good. And nobody deserves more credit for their success than Josh Allen, who’s scored 23 total touchdowns so far this season.

Buffalo is 9-2 and looks like the team to beat in the AFC, so Allen’s name will naturally come up in the MVP conversation.

How about ANOTHER running back? Derrick Henry has also put his paw on the position’s resurgence this season, as he already has 13 touchdowns, over 1,110 rushing yards, and averaging 6 yards a carry.

He has been pivotal to the Ravens offense’s success and is having an incredible age-30 running back season. His name is in the conversation, as well. Before this past Sunday, he was the odds-on favorite for Offensive Player of the Year.

The Tilter

So, what puts Saquon Barkley ahead of the other candidates? In my opinion, when sorting by impact on team success, Saquon Barkley has put his paw directly on the outcome of games at the highest clip of any player in the NFL this season.

Whether it’s breaking off home run rushes to flip the script of a game or continuing to improve as the game progresses. His ability to put consistent pressure on opposing teams to keep the Eagles’ offense off the field with a lead is second to none.

Putting his broad impact on winning games together with the unbelievably counting stats, Saquon Barkley has been the best player in football this season. And if he continues, I believe his case is worthy of a Most Valuable Player award.

Mandatory Credit: Wally Skalij | Los Angeles Times

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