How the Philadelphia Eagles’ new running back would perform behind a new-look offensive line was a big worry before to the start of 2017 NFL season.
The answer to that question is clear.
The Eagles won their sixth straight game on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” as Saquon Barkley strengthened his bid to be the NFL’s most valuable player by stomping past the Los Angeles Rams 37–20 and dominating the run game once more.
Barkley ran behind a formidable offensive line for a career-high 255 yards just one season after being cut by the New York Giants. This was the first time in his career that he had rushed for more than 200 yards, including touchdown runs of 70 and 72 yards where defenders could hardly touch his back, much less stop him.
In addition to giving Barkley 1,392 yards for the season—a new career high achieved in just 11 games—it was the highest individual rushing yards in a single game since 2009.
Barkley, who already leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage, increased his lead after collecting four catches for 47 yards. With the victory, the Eagles increase their NFC East division lead over the Washington Commanders to 9-2, including 5-1 away from home.
“We just got to keep building,” stated Jalen Hurts, the quarterback for the Eagles, on NBC after the game. Since momentum can start or stop at any time, it is the most phony thing in existence. All we want to do is keep improving, grow from our errors, and play well.
Rams fall to 5-6. They had won four of their previous five games, but in an NFC West division that is still closely tied going into the final stretch of the season, the defeat won’t ruin their chances of making the playoffs.
However, the focus of the tale was Barkley and the genuine Super Bowl potential he has given to a squad that was experiencing a late-season collapse only a year ago. The Eagles have grown more formidable as the weeks have passed this season.
The Eagles had the best rushing offense in the NFL going into Sunday, averaging 181.3 yards per game, despite the retirement of center Jason Kelce, a potential future Hall of Famer, in the offseason, which left a significant gap in the middle of the team’s line. Philadelphia ran for 314 against the Rams. Philadelphia made nine of its fifteen third-down attempts, while Los Angeles only made one, thanks to the run-pass combination that kept the Rams defense off-balance.
“He’s a hell of a player,” Hurts put Barkley’s skill level. “He’s the best at what he does.”
SNF blog: Reflect on the game’s progression
Philadelphia has been able to dominate teams in the second half because to their reliable run game, and they continued this trend after halftime, scoring 24 points against the Rams 13.
The Eagles are now the first team since 1949 and just the second club in NFL history to rush for multiple rushing touchdowns and at least 150 yards in six straight games.
Barkley said, “I got a fresh start,” after the game. “The folks I’m with are fantastic. From the top to the lowest, the entire corporation has embraced me. I’m enjoying myself. I’m prepared to go out there, give my best effort, and prepare for next week.”
Cowboys beat Commanders in bizarre fashion, plus Packers dominate 49ers
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The Dallas Cowboys beat their rival Washington Commanders 34-26 on the road in one of the
most bizarre games in years
. Trailing 27-20 with 21 seconds remaining, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels found Terry McLaurin for an 86-yard score that seemingly would allow Washington to tie the game. The only issue? Kicker Austin Seibert s extra point went wide left and Dallas (4-7) held on to win the matchup. The game featured two kickoff return touchdowns, two missed extra points, a blocked punt and a blocked field goal attempt, the only time that has happened in NFL history. Washington, once a lock for the postseason, has now lost three straight.
- The Green Bay Packers (8-3) established themselves as a legitimate playoff contender with a dominant 38-10 win against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love threw two touchdowns while running back Josh Jacobs exploded for 106 yards and three scores on the ground. The 28-point loss is the worst for San Francisco (5-6) since October 2018.
- The Minnesota Vikings withstood a late comeback attempt by the Chicago Bears to improve to 9-2. Minnesota led 27-16 with 1:56 left in regulation but Caleb Williams led a successful touchdown drive and two-point conversion to make it 27-24 with 22 seconds left. Chicago then recovered the onside kick and Cairo Santos hit a 48-yard field goal as time expired to push to overtime. After a defensive stop, the Vikings John Parker Romo drilled a 29-yarder to win the game. The entire state of Minnesota took a collective sigh of relief after the game. It was the Bears fifth straight loss.
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