Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has played 18 games this season, and in 13 of them, he’s run for at least 100 yards. In 12 of them, he has broken at least one run of 20 yards or more. In all but three of them, Barkley has averaged at least 4.5 yards per carry.
Even in games his team lost, like the 36-33 defeat at the hands of the division-rival Washington Commanders in Week 16, he has still been electric: He had 29 carries for 150 yards and two scores in that game, with one of those touchdowns being a 68-yard jaunt late in the first quarter. (He also ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the first matchup, which Philadelphia won.)
Now going up against Barkley and the Eagles for the third time this season, Washington is once again tasked with trying to shut him down — this time with a spot in the Super Bowl on the line. And defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. knows how big the test in front of his unit is, and what it will take to ultimately pass it.
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“He does it against everybody,” Whitt said Thursday, via NFL Media. “So, it’s 11-man football to stop this man. And if you don’t do it, you’re going to see those explosive runs which you’ve seen against everybody else.”
Barkley had more explosive runs this season than all but two other players, via Tru Media, and he seemingly has a knack for ripping them off when the Eagles needed it most. It’s there that head coach Dan Quinn thinks the Commanders need to focus, too.
“It’s the explosive plays that he can create,” Quinn said. “He’s also got rare change of direction. He has this quickness of a smaller back and the size of a big back. It’s an unusual combination, but it’s not the size alone of this guy that is so powerful. It’s both.”
Washington’s run defense struggled for much of this season, with a 4.8 yards-allowed-per-carry average that tied for third worst in football. Containing Barkley and not allowing the Eagles to control the ball and the clock the entire game will be a significant challenge on Sunday, and an important one to handle if Washington wants Jayden Daniels to be on the field often enough to lead the team’s explosive offense to a victory.
