NEW ORLEANS — Saquon Barkley hurdled backward into the highlight reel and ran straight toward the record book in his first year with the Philadelphia Eagles.
He set the franchise record for single-season rushing yards, with the big plays including him clearing a defender while leaping in reverse. He became the ninth 2,000-yard rusher in NFL history. He has seven touchdown runs of 60-plus yards (postseason included) and is one of only two players in NFL history with at least 400 rushing yards and five touchdowns in a single postseason.
But wait, there’s more: Barkley is 30 yards shy of breaking the NFL single-season rushing record (postseason included) set by Terrell Davis for the 1998 Denver Broncos. Barkley has 2,447 yards (442 in the playoffs); Davis had 2,476 and led the Broncos to the Super Bowl title.
On Sunday, his 28th birthday, the prediction here is that Barkley will hold the rushing record — and hoist the Lombardi Trophy after leading Philadelphia (17-3) to a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs (17-2) in Super Bowl LIX at the Superdome (6:30 p.m. Eastern on Fox).
Barkley is the playmaking, game-breaking, difference-making singular sensation coach Nick Sirianni’s Eagles did not have two years ago, when they lost 38-35 in the Super Bowl to the Chiefs, who beat the San Francisco 49ers in overtime last season and are seeking an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl championship.
After leading the Eagles to the NFC East Division title, three playoff wins and the conference championship, the player who spent his first six NFL seasons with the rival New York Giants has quickly become a Philadephia sports legend. He makes this version of the Eagles superior to the 2022 team and even better — so far — than the 2017 team, which won the franchise’s only Super Bowl title with backup quarterback Nick Foles.
Consider, against Kansas City in the Super Bowl two years ago, quarterback Jalen Hurts was the team’s leading rusher with 70 yards and the Eagles’ ground game as a whole generated just 115 yards.
Barkley could hit that number by halftime. And be halfway to denying the Chiefs their three-peat.
OFFENSE
While Hurts isn’t at the level of Kansas City counterpart Patrick Mahomes, he did shine in their first Super Bowl matchup. Hurts delivered a record performance in the big game two years ago, throwing for 304 yards and a touchdown, running for 70 yards and three scores, and adding a game-tying 2-point conversion.
Hurts is trying to become the fourth quarterback to win the Super Bowl as a starter after losing his first start in the game.
The Eagles have already set an NFL record for most rushing yards in a season with 3,731 in the regular season and playoffs. They also have a chance to break their own record for most touchdown runs in a season, already at 39 heading into the Super Bowl and three shy of the mark they set in the 2022 season.
AP photo by Derik Hamilton / Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun celebrates after intercepting a pass during a home playoff game against the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 12.DEFENSE
Barkley isn’t the only player creating havoc on the field who wasn’t with the Eagles at Super Bowl LVII.
The ninth overall pick in the 2023 draft, defensive tackle Jalen Carter, flourished this season with five sacks, 53 quarterback pressures, 12 quarterback hits, five batted passes and two forced fumbles. Led by him, the Eagles have three of the top eight and four of the top 22 interior pass rushers in the NFL this season.
The Eagles led the NFL in total defense (allowing an average of 278.4 yards per game) for the seventh time in franchise history. They also ranked No. 1 in passing yards allowed per game (174.2) for the second time in the past three years. Oh, and they’re plus-27 in turnover differential from the eighth week of the regular season through now.
The other new face who made all the difference won’t be found on the player roster.
At 66, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has incorporated eight new starters into a unit that ranked near the bottom of the NFL in 2023 and turned it into one of the league’s best as the Eagles led the NFL in advanced efficiency metrics.
Fangio has been integral in the defensive rebuild in Philadelphia. He saw enough in free agent Zack Baun to turn him from a special teams player who got limited time on defense as an outside rusher in New Orleans into an All-Pro inside linebacker. He also helped incorporate two rookie starters, Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell, into the secondary, which played a big part in the turnaround.
One major blemish on Fangio’s resumé: His 0-8 record against Mahomes as head coach of the Broncos and defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins.
AP photo by Chris Szagola / Philadelphia Eagles fans hold a sign supporting kicker Jake Elliott before the team’s matchup with the visiting Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game on Jan. 26.SPECIAL TEAMS
Here is where the Eagles could run into trouble if the Super Bowl runs down to the last play — and it’s the Chiefs, so that comeback drama is very much a real option.
Once so reliable he was nicknamed “Jake the Make,” Philadelphia kicker Jake Elliott has endured the worst season of his career. He missed eight field-goal attempts in the regular season, going only 1-for-7 from 50-plus yards, then missed a combined three extra-point tries in the playoffs and another field-goal attempt from beyond 50.
“I don’t think Jake really dwells on it. That’s the great thing,” special teams coach Michael Clay said. “He’s the kind of guy that, almost like a golfer’s mindset, you will hit a bad shot here as a golfer, but how do you bounce back from it? His mentality is so strong. I’m never too worried about him. He’ll flush it after the first one.”
Elliott made all three extra-point kicks and was successful on both field-goal attempts (of 35 and 33 yards) against Kansas City in the Super Bowl two years ago.
Harrison Butker, who kicked the winning field goal in that game with eight seconds left, has stayed at the top his game for Kansas City. One of the most accurate kickers in the NFL, he kept the Chiefs in the Super Bowl last year against the 49ers with a trio of field goals, including a 57-yarder in the third quarter, before his 29-yarder at the end of regulation forced overtime in what turned out to be a 25-22 victory for Kansas City.