Grade the take: Should Saquon Barkley actually be the NFL MVP frontrunner?

The Philadelphia Eagles advanced to 9-2 with a dominant win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football. Gone are the days of hand-wringing over Nick Sirianni or wondering if Jalen Hurts still has it. The Eagles have been performing well above their NFC East counterparts, and there's a real argument for Philadelphia as the present favorites to reach the Super Bowl.

All the pieces have come together. Few teams have better personnel across the board. Howie Roseman continues to lap the competition. One of the most scrutinized moves of Philadelphia's offseason was signing Saquon Barkley to a three-year, $37.8 million contract with partial guarantees.

FanSided's Cody Williams gave the move a 'C+' grade at the time, and offered some justified criticisms.

"Yes, this is a splash move for the Eagles as they've ostensibly upgraded their running back room with the uber-talented Saquon Barkley. When you zoom out, though, the fact of the matter is that spending big on running back doesn't appear to be what Philadelphia needed. Now they have $26 million guaranteed and a $12 million per season deal before incentives on the books. In terms of process, I'm not buying into this."

It has become common knowledge that running backs aren't worth significant financial capital. It's the least appreciated position in football. Even the elite RBs can't seem to find solid long-term contracts. Barkley broke the mold and, well, now he's proving exactly why the Eagles took the plunge.

Barkley notched 26 carries for 255 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams, a franchise record. He ended with 302 scrimmage yards, also a franchise record. He's now on track to set the all-time record for rushing yards in a season with 1,392 yards and 10 touchdowns through 11 games.

Watching the best running back of his generation run behind the NFL's best offensive line is a treat. Barkley has been so dominant that he's starting to get MVP buzz.

Saquon Barkley has entered the MVP race. Does he deserve to be the frontrunner?

The 27-year-old running back now has the third-highest MVP odds in the NFL behind Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson — the usual suspects. Ask Rich Eisen of NFL Network, however, and Barkley deserves to be No. 1.

Eisen posits two ways in which Barkley could lose the award: if Josh Allen and the Bills (9-2) finish with a better record than the Chiefs (10-1), or if Lamar Jackson and the Ravens (8-4) end the campaign with a better record than the Eagles (9-2).

This seems a little silly. Barkley's Eagles have the same record as Buffalo in an ostensibly weaker conference, so shouldn't we hold them to the same standard? The 10-1 Lions sit ahead of Philadelphia. The 9-2 Vikings are tied for second place. Does Philly need to pass them and claim the No. 1 seed for Saquon's case to hold water?

That's generally not the best way to measure individual success and value, but honestly, record probably matters for Barkley more than his peers in this conversation. The reason is simple: quarterbacks are inherently more valuable than running backs. There's a reason teams are shelling out $50 million annually for their signal-callers and shafting the RB market on an annual basis. Barkley is reminding folks of how useful a truly elite RB can be, but those are few and far between. And, to be frank, the Eagles' O-line deserves immense credit for Barkley's historic season. It's a collective effort.

Allen and Jackson are involved in every play for their respective offenses. Both Allen and Jackson are dual-threat quarterbacks, equally comfortable launching bombs down the field or taking off and winning with their legs. Jackson has a tremendous supporting cast in Baltimore, but Allen has been dragging spare parts across the finish line all season. Buffalo famously traded Stefon Diggs and neglected key positions this summer in an effort to save money. Allen has Buffalo in the race for the No. 1 seed — with the sole victory over Kansas City to date — despite his best wideouts being Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and the recently acquired Amari Cooper.

With all due respect to Jackson, a two-time MVP, this award feels like Allen's to lose. He's on track for his best campaign to date after finishing top-five in MVP voting three of the last four years. Allen has trimmed his turnover numbers, boosted his efficiency, and maintained his ambitious disposition, all despite playing in arguably the worst setup of his career.

Barkley is on track for potentially the best RB season of all time, which deserves some sort of recognition. That said, is the best RB season of all time more valuable than what Allen is accomplishing as the head of the snake in Buffalo? Probably not.

I'll leave you with a simple hypothetical: is the Eagles offense worse off if Jalen Hurts is sidelined for the remainder of the season or if Barkley is sidelined the rest of the way? Your answer should inform your MVP take. We all know the correct pick.