ClutchPoints
When the Kansas City Chiefs take the field for their first defensive snap of the Super Bowl, it’s safe to say everyone will have an eye on one player above all others: Philadelphia Eagles running back Saqon Barkley.
On paper, it makes sense, right? Barkley is under 40 yards away from rushing for the most yards in NFL history and has already picked up 442 yards and five rushing touchdowns on only 66 attempts. He’s running for an average of 6.7 yards-per-carry, .9 more than his regular season total, and has already ripped off a number of 40-plus yard runs on the way to an all-time great postseason.
Slow Bakrley down, many fans wager, and the Eagles become a whole lot more beatable, with Jalen Hurts being forced to beat the Chiefs with his own legs and arm, which hasn’t been a guaranteed path to victory for Eagles foes in 2024 but is seemingly the strategy teams have gone for, even if it’s often backfired in an incredible way.
Need proof? Well, look no further than the Eagles’ Divisional Round opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, who had two chances to shop Barkley with their box-loaded run defensive strategy but routinely found themselves gashed for huge plays when Philly’s offensive line broke open a running lane, and the PSU product made one man miss.
Barkley himself has commented on the reason why teams can’t stack the box against the Birds before the NFC Championship Game, as if he can get to the second level, he’s basically gone.
“I think that it’s a numbers game. When you load the box and when you bring extra people into the box, its a beautiful thing because it’s hard to run, and you’ve gotta be gap disciplined, we’re in the right gaps, it’s harder to run against, don’t get me wrong,” Barkley told reporters. “But I feel like myself as that back, being patient and having that home run speed if they load the box and we get through it, there’s really no one back there.”
Will Barkley and the Eagles tip off a few huge runs in the Super Bowl? Oh yeah, it would be truly shocking if Barkley’s long in the game was under ten yards or his yards-per-carry average dropped below five. But ultimaely, Barkley’s play isn’t the X-Factor for Philadelphia in the game, as fans more or less know what to expect from the former top-2 pick. No, the Eagles will only go as far as their quarterback, Hurts, takes them, as his play will more or less tell the story of the game.
Saquon Barkley explaining why the Eagles are successful running against a loaded box from defenses is a good listen
Best explanation I’ve heard as to why just “loading the box” vs the Eagles doesn’t work: pic.twitter.com/zd52yDVymL
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 22, 2025
Over his three playoff games in 2025 so far, Hurts has...
