This is not one of those seasons where a quarterback wants his team to a Super Bowl title.
Oh no, it will come down to the presence of a star player at a position that general managers and talent evaluators have decided to cut.
Running back Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles are just two wins away from becoming champions.
And Barkley is the reason Philadelphia will take home the Lombardi Trophy from New Orleans.
What a difference it has made for the Eagles to have Barkley on the roster after he joined them as a free agent in March.
Of course, Barkley had to leave the New York Giants after seven seasons, so it’s definitely a step up in teams and organizations.
All Barkley has done is put together one of the best running back seasons in NFL history by rushing for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in 16 regular season games. He is the ninth player in NFL history to top 2,000 rushing yards.
He has continued to run wild in the postseason with 119 yards against the Green Bay Packers and 205 yards and two scores against the Los Angeles Rams. He has a 6.4 average in the playoffs.
That’s 2,329 total rushing yards. Barry Sanders might even blush a little at that exit. (We know Eric Dickerson won’t).
It certainly helps that the Eagles have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. You know, who needs Jason Kelce anyway?
Cam Jurgens replaced Kelce at center and is one of three Philadelphia offensive linemen named to the Pro Bowl. The others are guard Landon Dickerson and tackle Lane Johnson — the latter of whom will garner major attention for the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts passed for 18 touchdowns and rushed for 14 scores during the regular season. Barkley’s productivity has taken the pressure off Hurts, and that will pay huge dividends for the rest of the playoffs.
The Eagles won their first two playoff games with Hurts passing for just 131 and 128 yards while completing 28 of 41 overall.
Let’s not forget that Hurts was the best player on the field in the Eagles’ 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2022 postseason Super Bowl. He was 27 of 38 for 304 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 70 yards, three touchdowns and a two-point conversion.
With Barkley on his side, Hurts can look forward to getting the size of his ring finger.
Philadelphia can also make some plays on the defensive side of the ball. CJ Gardner-Johnson has six interceptions, and Reed Blankenship has four.
How about linebacker Zack Baun? He was a strong special teams player and a backup on defense for most of his four seasons with the New Orleans Saints before joining the Eagles as a free agent in March.
Suddenly he’s a Pro Bowler who racked up 151 tackles and seems to be everywhere on the field. Talk about unleashing a guy’s potential.
On the defensive line, tackle Jalen Carter is just scratching the surface of his immense potential, and he’s also headed to the Pro Bowl. He dictates game plans because opponents know that running in his direction isn’t likely to get much positive yardage.
The Eagles must get past the feel-good Washington Commanders first before they can seriously dissect their Super Bowl chances.
The teams split their two regular season meetings, with Barkley rushing for 146 yards in a 26–18 home win on November 14 and 150 in a 36–33 road loss on December 22.
How exactly do the Chiefs expect to stop Barkley on Sunday? They ranked 30th in rushing defense at 137.5 yards per game during the regular season. Even when they upset the Detroit Lions last weekend, Washington gave up 201 rushing yards.
The scene is set. Barkley wants to have a very productive game against the Commanders and then get ready for one last game of his magical season.
When you break it down, it’s clear that he will lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl crown.
