Kids, don’t try this at home.
Channeling his inner eagle, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley decided to spread his wings and fly at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday against the Jaguars. In a move that dazzled his team, coach, opponent and fans, Barkley’s reverse hurdle is one that many will try to replicate and few will succeed.
A move that was previously only possible in video games just became reality. As the love for Barkley grows amongst the Eagles faithful, it’s represents a quick turnaround in the star running back’s career. His first season in the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ has turned the once hated rival into a hometown hero. With another play added to the highlight reel on Sunday, Barkley’s 2024 montage is turning into a feature length film.
In case you haven’t seen enough of the move, here’s how it looked from all angles and a glimpse into the reaction that poured in the aftermath.
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Saquon Barkley reverse hurdle
In the second quarter of the Philadelphia’s Week 9 win over Jacksonville, quarterback Jalen Hurts swung a pass out to Barkley on a third-and-six. He slipped out of the initial tackle, put another defender in a spin cycle, picked up the first down and then put the cherry on top with a backwards hurdle over the third defender.
Barkley even had A.J. Brown in disbelief.
‘It was the best play I’ve ever seen,’ head coach Nick Sirianni, who is never lost for words, said in the postgame. ‘What I think is so cool, there’s going to be kids all over the country and all over Philadelphia trying to make that play and talking about that play and simulating that play as they play backyard football or peewee football. They ain’t going to be able to make it – I believe he’s the only one in the world that can do that. I’m speechless. It was unbelievable.’
‘Crazy,’ DeVonta Smith added. ‘I ain’t never seen nothing like it.’
While Barkley’s teammates were in awe, the running back downplayed the moment.
‘I kind of just played ball,’ Barkley said before saying the team has some things to clean up after a uneven second half.
Saquon Barkley stats
Barkley turned in another solid day at the office, posting 159 rushing yards on 27 carries. He hauled in three of four targets, finishing with 40 receiving yards. Barkley left his mark by accounting for half of the team’s points, scoring a rushing and receiving touchdown.
Through eight games, Barkley is already up to 925 rushing yards on just 157 carries. In his last season with the Giants, Barkley finished with 962 yards on 247 carries in 14 games. The star running back is over the 1,000 total yard mark and could be in position to set a career-high before the season ends. Barkley posted 2,028 scrimmage yards in his rookie season and hasn’t come close to the 2,000 yard mark since.
The often-injured running back has been durable in 2024, something that wasn’t the case with the Giants. If this keeps up, Giants owner John Mara may have a hard time sleeping.