It took seven years, but Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley is just one win away from playing in the Super Bowl. When the Eagles host the Washington Commanders this weekend in the NFC Championship, it will be the farthest Barkley has ever advanced in the playoffs, having previously only made it to the Divisional Round.
All it took was for Barkley to be traded within the conference from the New York Giants to the Eagles during the offseason to make this all happen. Now the league’s leading rusher is on one of the most stacked teams in the NFL. While Barkley has certainly been a star this season, the Eagles’ overall talent has also contributed to their success.
Barkley will now, for the first time, hope to lead his team to a conference title—something that never really materialized during his time in New York. What that entails is Philadelphia facing a division rival not just for the third time this season, but in an attempt to beat them for a second time. The Eagles defeated the Commanders in Week 11 but lost in Week 16, ending their 10-game winning streak.
Since that loss, the Eagles have won four straight. The question now is: Can they and Barkley make it five? Let’s dive into our Saquon Barkley bold predictions for the NFC Championship game.
Saquon Barkley rushes for at least 120 yards against Commanders
While with the Giants in his two previous playoff appearances, Barkley accumulated 114 yards. He surpassed that total in the Eagles’ NFC Wild Card Round against the Green Bay Packers, rushing for 119 yards. He then outdid himself in the Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Rams, racking up a staggering 205 yards.
Barkley has been tearing up the field with long runs all season. If he manages to break off another touchdown run of 60 or more yards in the NFC Championship, he’ll become the first player in NFL history to do so, according to NBC Sports.
The way Barkley has been running in the playoffs alone makes it easy to believe he’ll once again reach the 120-yard mark, and most like helping his case breaking off another long run. It doesn’t hurt that the Commanders rank among the NFL’s worst rushing defenses, tied for 29th, allowing 137.1 yards per game, and 151 yards in the playoffs.
Saquon Barkley rushes for at least two touchdown against Commanders
Speaking of how bad the Commanders’ rushing defense is, they’re one of only four playoff teams to have allowed three rushing touchdowns in the postseason. They’re also the only team still remaining. The Ravens, Lions, and Rams have all been eliminated.
Barkley himself scored two touchdowns just last weekend against the Rams, though he went scoreless against the Packers in the Wild Card.
Even Nick Sirianni is smart enough to recognize the glaring weakness in the Commanders’ defense. After all, the Eagles racked up over 439 yards—and more importantly, five total touchdowns—against Washington in their previous two matchups this season. It would be no surprise for them to replicate that success. Barkley scored two touchdowns in each of those games, and he’ll get the trifecta in the NFC Championship.
Saquon Barkley and Eagles move onto to Super Bowl
This year’s Eagles team is simply too talented not to make the Super Bowl. And at the center of it all is MVP candidate Saquon Barkley. Thanks to his performances this year, the Eagles earned the No. 2 rushing offense in the NFL. In the playoffs alone, they’re averaging 227 yards per game.
It is concerning not knowing how truly healthy quarterback Jalen Hurts will be come game time. That could definitely cause the offense to sputter. But then again, there have been multiple times this season when Barkley has carried the team when Hurts wasn’t playing at his best.
In this rubber match between the two NFC East division foes, it will be the Eagles coming out on top and making their way back to the Super Bowl. Barkley will once again prove why he is the best running back in the NFL this year with multiple touchdowns and over 100 yards. He’ll just be too much for Jayden Daniels and the Commanders to overcome.
