Saquon Barkley Shines in Eagles’ 37-20 Victory Over Rams

LOS ANGELES — Saquon Barkley ran off the SoFi Stadium field Sunday night with two game balls under one arm and his other hand raised toward the sky as Philadelphia Eagles fans showered him with chants of ‘MVP!’

If he keeps playing like this, he might just be the first running back since Adrian Peterson in 2012 to capture the award.

Barkley had a career night in the Eagles’ 37-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams, posting a staggering 302 scrimmage yards and two rushing touchdowns, both of which were over 70 yards.

‘He’s a different type of player,’ said Rams rookie linebacker Jared Verse. ‘I’ve never seen a running back like that.’

Barkley set the franchise record for most rushing yards in a single game with 255, which is the ninth-most rushing yards in a game in NFL history and the highest total since 2009.

He became just the 12th player in NFL history to rush for over 300 scrimmage yards in a game.

‘He’s got the home run ability every time he touches the football, and he catches the ball out of the backfield,’ said Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson. ‘It’s a lot of fun blocking for him, I can tell you that.’

Rams coach Sean McVay added, ‘He’s as good as there is as a slash runner…That’s why he’s had arguably an MVP-type of season so far.’

Entering Sunday, Barkley had 60-1 odds to win MVP, which surged to +550 after his performance, tied with the Detroit Lions’ Jared Goff for the third-best odds.

After his historic night, Barkley leads the league with 1,649 scrimmage yards this season and is on pace to break the NFL record with 2,151 rushing yards.

‘To be honest, I’m not surprised,’ Barkley said of his successful year. ‘I keep thinking God’s been blessing me a lot…I’m thankful for the fresh start.’

Barkley, who signed a three-year, $38 million contract with the Eagles after six seasons with the New York Giants, has credited his teammates for being a significant factor in his success.

As for the MVP? Barkley noted, ‘I love being in that conversation. It’s cool and all. But it’s a team sport.’

He concluded, ‘If you told me I can have the year I’m having and win MVP but not win the Super Bowl, or I can have the year I’m having and not win MVP but win the Super Bowl, I’m going to take the [second] one.’