Saquon Barkley is running his way into the NFL record book, and possibly his 1st Super Bowl

PHILADELPHIA – Saquon Barkley is unsure himself why exactly over the final 30 yards of a 78-yard scoring burst through the playoff snow in a run that whipped Philadelphia Eagles fans out of their frigid state and into a frenzy he cradled the football in his left hand and repeatedly smacked his helmet with his right hand.

“I was crashing out, as the kids would say,” Barkley said.

For the adults in the room, Barkley essentially means he momentarily lost all sense of control, a delightful explanation for a touchdown run the NFL All-Pro running back called the best ever in his career.

“Since I was a little kid,” the former Penn State standout said. “Just the moment, the timing of it, the conversation I had with myself. The stuff I’ve been working on. It just all came together in that moment.”

The whole season has come together as the finest in Barkley’s seven-year career and his first one with the Eagles.

Long reluctant to spend major money on running backs, the Eagles have reaped the rewards and a rewriting of the franchise record book on their $26 million guaranteed leap of faith on Barkley. He’s flashed the kind of did-you-see-that plays that fans say are ripped straight from a video game; including a mind-bending backward hurdle that was so foreign to the sport Madden had to release an update to make it possible in its game.

He nipped at Eric Dickerson. Has Terrell Davis in his sight. He’s an AP NFL MVP finalist.

Oh yeah, personal milestones aside, Barkley has run, run, run the Eagles all the way to the brink of the Super Bowl.

Stuck at just two career playoff games in six seasons with the New York Giants, Barkley has rushed for 324 yards already in his first two playoff games with the Eagles. His next shot at history comes Sunday when Philadelphia hosts the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game, with the Eagles trying for their second Super Bowl appearance in three seasons.

“It’s 11-man football to stop this man,” Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said.

Take a look at the statistics and most teams have indeed failed to stop Barkley.

His 2,005 yards rushing (an Eagles record, eighth-most in NFL history) left him only 101 shy of breaking Dickerson’s season record of 2,105. Counting the playoffs, Barkley set an NFL record with six rushing touchdowns of 60-plus yards in a season. Again, postseason included, Barkley has 2,329 total yards rushing, just 148 yards away of breaking Davis’ mark of 2,476 yards set in the 1998 season when the Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl.

Barkley, who turns 28 next month, has a nose for football history and has revealed all season as he closes in on the next record that he takes a deep dive into the history books to see which team or Pro Football Hall of Famers are ahead of him. Barkley smiled when asked about potentially knocking Davis out of the top spot because he’s acutely aware of how close he was to the record.

“It’s something that helps with the legacy play,” Barkley said. “With my name being mentioned, what I want to do, what I wanted to accomplish in this game.”

Unlike when Barkley lost his shot at Dickerson’s mark in the regular-season finale, there’s no more sitting out games.

Barkley likes to repeat what he says is his favorite quote from coach Nick Sirianni — “You can’t be great without the greatness of others” — and there’s no doubt his career year was anchored by an offensive line that sent three players to the Pro Bowl. Offensive guard Landon Dickerson, tackle Lane Johnson, and center Cam Jurgens were rewarded for their role on the line of scrimmage in helping Barkley turn the potential of a few yards into of one of his signature home-run dashes.

“Going against the best is going to bring out the best in you,” Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu said, “and he’s one of the best by far to ever play the position.”

The Commanders are two field-goal underdogs on Sunday but hardly feel like ones headed into Philly in large part because they just beat the Eagles in late December; and they did it by essentially shutting down Barkley over the final three quarters.

Barkley had 15 carries for 56 yards in the first half of these teams’ first game this season Nov. 14 at Philadelphia, before finishing with 146 yards and two TDs. He had 109 yards and two TDs in the first quarter at Washington on Dec. 22, then had 22 runs for 41 yards the rest of the way in a game where quarterback Jalen Hurts was sidelined by a concussion.

Barkley scoffed at the suggestion the Commanders might have his number. His retort — who else were the Commanders going to focus on with the Eagles’ second-biggest playmaker in Hurts out of the game?

“Every single time that I’ve coached against him,” Washington coach Dan Quinn said, “he’s been the emphasis.”

Hurts has been mid — as the kids would say — in the postseason with just 259 total yards passing and two touchdowns in two games while star receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have combined for only 11 catches for 100 yards against Green Bay and the Los Angeles Rams.

In other words, as Barkley goes, so go the Eagles.

The personal records mean something to Barkley.

Winning a Super Bowl just means more.

“Win and move on,” he said. “That’s the only thing that’s important.”

AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno, in Ashburn, Virginia, contributed to this report.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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