Saquon Barkley’s MVP case is being actively sabotaged by his Eagles teammate

When Saquon Barkley signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, it felt as if the rest of the NFL had made a crucial mistake. They really let this Eagles team with their elite offensive line get their hands on a talent of Barkley's caliber?

It was easy to predict an extremely productive 2024 season from Barkley, yet he's already shattered his already-lofty expectations. He just ran for 124 yards on 20 carries in Philadelphia's ninth straight win. They improved to 11-2 with the victory.

This latest performance only added to a growing MVP-caliber campaign for Barkley. If the season were to end today, he'd have a legitimate argument to win it, even as a running back, over the likes of Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Jared Goff.

While Barkley has put together an MVP-caliber campaign thus far, his Eagles teammate, Jalen Hurts, is actively sabotaging his case.

Barkley, a player in the MVP discussion, isn't even leading the league in rushing touchdowns. His teammate, Jalen Hurts, is now tied for the league lead after finding his way into the end zone on the ground on Sunday.

Jalen Hurts is actively sabotaging Saquon Barkley's MVP case

Barkley has already set a career-high with 1,623 rushing yards on 266 attempts. He leads the NFL in both categories while averaging over six yards per carry. He has not only been fed the ball at nauseum, but he has been as efficient as any running back in the league. The problem, though, is that he only has 11 rushing touchdowns - two shy of Hurts and Derrick Henry.

Does this matter much in the grand scheme of things? No, not really, but is it likely that they give a running back the MVP award if he doesn't even lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns? It's unlikely that they give the award to a back to begin with, and feels less likely for them to reward Barkley without the touchdowns to show for it.

Several of Hurts' touchdowns come when the Eagles are very close to the goal line, thanks in large part to the work Barkley has put in to get the team there. That should not be ignored, but there's reason to believe it would be, especially when discussing whether this is the best running back season of all time.

Let's say half of Hurts' touchdowns went to Barkley. Suddenly, he'd lead the league in rushing touchdowns by a decent margin, in addition to everything he's done.

Barkley has a case with or without the touchdowns, especially if the Eagles keep winning, but without those touchdowns, leapfrogging the field certainly feels unlikely. As long as the Eagles continue to win, it's hard to envision Barkley complaining, though.