NEW ORLEANS — Saquon Barkley didn’t have a dominant performance in Super Bowl LIX, yet he got the milestones and the trophy he coveted the most.
Barkley did get the rushing yards and yards from scrimmage record in a single season (including playoffs), but he wanted the Super Bowl trophy above all else. Not a bad first year with the Eagles.
“Hell of a year, right?,” Barkley said after the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Chiefs. “I couldn’t do it without the big boys up front, everyone on this team. I just appreciate them – the whole Eagles organization. Of me being a newcomer, welcoming me in with open arms and helping build confidence back in me too. That was definitely helpful.
“It was a hell of a year, but all of the numbers and stats or records are cool, but the best thing is to be able to hold that Lombardi Trophy.”
Barkley finished with 25 carries for 57 yards and six catches for 40 yards in the win, not the typical Barkley performance that he has been accustomed to with the Eagles this year. No matter how Barkley performed in the Super Bowl, he still had one of the greatest seasons ever for a player in NFL history.
Barkley finished with 2,504 rushing yards this season (including playoffs), the most in a season in NFL history and the only player to have 2,500 rushing yards in a season. He also finished with 2,857 yards from scrimmage, also the most in a season in league history (including playoffs). Barkley and Davis are the only players in NFL history to have 400+ rushing yards and 5+ rushing touchdowns in a single postseason.
This is why Barkley signed with the Eagles. He envisioned this.
“I came here because I wanted to extend my legacy,” Barkley said. “I wish I could go back and didn’t have the injuries, but I never lost faith. Man, here we are.”
The only thing Barkley didn’t do was score a touchdown on his birthday (on February 9, the day the Eagles won the Super Bowl). He’ll take the Super Bowl title as a present.
“She looks prettier in person, I’ll tell you that,” Barkley said. “You think about it, it’s better in person than it is in Madden, I’ll tell you that playing as a kid. It’s everything you dream of. I’m just happy to be able to hold it, give it a kiss and be World Champs.”
