Saquon Barkley passed up an opportunity at setting a career high in rushing yards earlier this season. The Philadelphia Eagles weren’t going to let Barkley off the hook this time.
The Eagles were leading 30-14 with 5:13 left in the fourth quarter, looking to run out the clock in the four-minute offense. With the game a score away from being in hand, Barkley was at 22 carries. Philadelphia could have taken Barkley off the field in favor of Kenneth Gainwell, but Barkley already had 22 carries for 173 yards (7.9 yards per carry).
Barkley isn’t one to look at his numbers during a game, but fate tempted him in this instance.
“I’m not going to lie. I looked up and I saw I was at 173, and I said, ‘Ah man, I wish I never saw that,'” Barkley smiled after Sunday’s win, via a team transcript. “It worked.”
Barkley had three carries for 10 yards before breaking off for his 72-yard touchdown run to seal the eventual 37-20 victory. He finished with 26 carries for 255 yards and two touchdowns.
Not only did Barkley set the Eagles’ single-game record for rushing yards (255) and yards from scrimmage (302), he became the first player to have two 70-yard rushing touchdowns in the second half of a football game. Barkley didn’t jinx his career night by looking up at the scoreboard.
“I’m a big believer in if it happens, it happens, and let it come to you,” Barkley said. “It was 4-minute (offense). We were trying to put the game away, so I did look up one time to see a replay of the run, and I saw where I was at, and I literally said to myself, ‘I wish I never saw that.’
“That’s just the devil talking. That’s how I look at it. Just kept my head down, trusting the system and we popped the long one.”
