Primetime Saquon Barkley masterclass should have more than just Giants feeling stupid
Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles are making a lot of folks in the NFL look very silly. And it's not just the New York Giants that applies to.
On Sunday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams, Barkley went off. Through three quarters, he rushed for 255 yards and two touchdowns while adding four catches for 47 yards.
He came into the game already leading the league in all-purpose yards and rushing yards per game. He only added to his lead on that front.
"He's 6 yards shy of a career-high rushing yards -- and he's got it AND HE'S GOT MORE...What a night, what a season, what a player."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 25, 2024
Mike Tirico calls Saquon Barkley's 70-yard TD.
That run moved him to 255 rushing yards on the night.pic.twitter.com/nddTT1Bvan
Naturally, social media had fun teasing the Giants and owner John Mara for their egregious misplay of Barkley's contract situation. The Giants aren't the only ones who deserve to take a beating over this whole thing.
As Jeff Kerr of CBS pointed out on Twitter, Barkley has more rushing yards this season as an individual than 18 NFL teams. He's got more than the Giants, who let him walk. He's got more than the Titans, who brought in Tony Pollard. He's got more than the Cowboys, who made no real attempts to replace Pollard. He's got more than the Raiders who replaced Josh Jacobs with Alexander Mattison. The list goes on and on.
Frankly, the only team that can truly feel like they didn't miss a trick by going after Barkley is the Baltimore Ravens, who are getting their monies worth and more from Derrick Henry.
Saquon Barkley up to 1,310 rushing yards on the season.
— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrCBS) November 25, 2024
Barkley has more rushing yards than 18 #NFL teams -- including the #Giants (1,275) and #Cowboys (908).
Saquon Barkley getting to run behind the Eagles line is a problem for the rest of the NFL
Barkley's contract includes $26 million guaranteed. So signing him wouldn't have been a small investment. But with a cap hit of just $3.8 million this year and an out after 2025, the Eagles are getting an absolute steal for the 27-year-old based on his production.
Philadelphia's faith in him has transformed their offense, in no small part because they're letting him run behind an offensive line worth their salt.
A lot of other teams could have given him that chance and reaped the rewards from it. Instead, they let the Eagles grab the one piece that could right their ship.
Now all of those playoff contenders face the prospect of having to face him in the postseason. AFC teams like the Chiefs and Bills can at least rest easy knowing they're only in danger of seeing Barkley in the Super Bowl. For the rest of the NFC, Barkley and the Eagles are a problem that looks destined to end some seasons.
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