Where Would the Eagles be Without Saquon Barkley?

This article could probably be one sentence long — Without Saquon Barkley, the Eagles would be 11-6 in the regular season, finishing in second place in the NFC East and getting blown out by the Buccaneers in the Wild Card round.

Why, do you ask? I say this because it’s exactly what happened to the Eagles last year when they had largely the same all-world offensive line but a running back room of D’Andre Swift and Kenneth Gainwell.

Last season, Swift and Gainwell combined for 969 rushing yards on 241 attempts. They scored 17 touchdowns. In the regular season this year, Barkley finished with an unfathomable 2,005 rushing yards on 354 attempts and broke through for 13 touchdowns on the ground. His rushing yards per game average was 125.3 to lead the league.

In the playoffs, Barkley has added an additional five touchdowns.

It isn’t even so much the ridiculous rushing stats for Barkley that helped the Eagles add an additional three wins to their regular season ledger. He’s had a much broader impact on the offense than numbers alone.

Last season, quarterback Jalen Hurts shouldered much of the load on the ground for the Birds. While he still ran for 605 yards, the team’s offensive game plan oftentimes became predictable.

Teams were able to contain the Eagles on offense when they were able to shut down Hurts because Swift wasn’t considered a big threat that defenses needed to account for.

Now, the presence of Barkley has enabled the offense to become far more well-rounded. They can still beat you with Hurts, yes, but his runs are now able to be far more surprising than last season with teams now having to game plan around Barkley.

Hurts was even more successful rushing this year with that in mind. His yards per rushing attempt jumped up from 3.9 to 4.2.

His turnovers also became much less of an issue. After having to force throws last season at times when Barkley would get the call this year, he threw 15 interceptions. This season, he only threw five.

Talent has never been the question for Barkley. Coming out of Penn State, big things were expected for him after he was drafted by the Giants with the second pick of the 2018 draft.

Barkley immediately won the Rookie of the Year award after leading the league with his 2,028 rushing and receiving yards.

After that, he remained effective but didn’t reach those same heights. He dealt with a myriad of injuries and only reached the playoffs one time with the Giants as he played behind their putrid offensive line.

People always asked what he could have done behind an offensive line that provided holes for him to run. The fear was that he was throwing his career away by playing in New York.

That question is no longer hypothetical. Playing behind Cam Jurgens, Mekhi Becton and Jordan Mailata, among others, has shown the world exactly what Saquon Barkley can do.

This Sunday in the Super Bowl, Saquon will finally get his chance to shine when the lights are brightest. Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland said the O-line is ready to work as hard as possible for Barkley against the Chiefs.

The last time the Eagles faced off against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, it’s possible that they were one Saquon Barkley away from winning it all. Barkley, in the regular season and in the playoffs, broke off seven touchdowns of 60 or more yards to lead the league.

His big-play ability will be the focal point of Sunday’s game. He makes his opponents play catch-up and is eternally a threat to swing the momentum back to the Eagles.

A big game from Barkley would cement his name onto the list of one of the best running back seasons of all time.

Dominick Pizzelanti is a second-year dual majoring in broadcast journalism and Spanish. To contact him, email dqp5565@psu.edu.